Presidential Special Envoy for Foreign Investment Hanif Yusoof engaged with senior representatives of leading American corporations, business associations, and policy institutions in a high‑level dialogue on Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic reforms, investment climate, and emerging opportunities across strategic sectors including ports and logistics, renewable energy, tourism, aviation, advanced manufacturing, technology, and healthcare.

The roundtable was hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.–Sri Lanka Commercial Working Group together with McLarty Associates, providing a platform for these discussions.

The roundtable brought together representatives from Apple, Boeing, Mastercard, AdvaMed, McLarty Associates, the Atlantic Council, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Albright Stonebridge Group and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to discuss opportunities to strengthen economic and commercial ties between Sri Lanka and the United States.

Addressing participants, Hanif Yusoof highlighted Sri Lanka’s commitment to becoming one of the most competitive and investor-friendly destinations in the region.

“Sri Lanka is open for business and ready to compete for investment. Our focus is not only on improving the ease of doing business, but on improving the speed of doing business. We are committed to building a predictable, transparent and efficient environment that enables investors to succeed,” he said. 

Hanif Yusoof emphasised Sri Lanka’s strategic location at the centre of the Indian Ocean, its highly educated workforce, democratic institutions and growing role as a regional logistics and connectivity hub. He also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to economic reform, private sector-led growth and stronger engagement with international investors.

Participants expressed strong interest in Sri Lanka’s future economic prospects and welcomed the country’s efforts to improve the investment environment and deepen engagement with the international business community.

Several participants highlighted the importance of supply chain diversification, energy security, infrastructure development and regional connectivity, while recognising Sri Lanka’s potential to serve as a platform for investment and operations across South Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

The roundtable also identified a number of areas for future collaboration, including:

* Facilitating a delegation of U.S. businesses to Sri Lanka to explore investment opportunities firsthand.

* Expanding engagement between Sri Lankan institutions and leading American corporations.

* Strengthening collaboration with U.S. development finance and project preparation institutions.

* Promoting partnerships in logistics, renewable energy, tourism, aviation, technology and advanced manufacturing.

* Supporting future engagements between Sri Lankan leadership and the American business community.

Hanif Yusoof noted that attracting high-quality foreign investment requires sustained engagement and strong partnerships.

“Investment promotion is fundamentally about building confidence and long-term relationships. The conversations held in Washington this week reaffirmed that there is growing international interest in Sri Lanka and confidence in our direction of travel. Our task now is to translate that interest into tangible investments, jobs and opportunities for the Sri Lankan people,” he said. 

The roundtable forms part of a broader programme of engagements undertaken by the Presidential Special Envoy during his visit to Washington D.C., aimed at strengthening Sri Lanka’s economic partnerships and advancing the country’s foreign investment agenda.