36th ANNUAL CONFERENCE OPA – INAUGARATION

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The 36th Annual Conference of the Organization of Professional Associations was successfully held at the Kingsbury Hotel on the 9th of August 2023. The event, which focused on the theme “Sri Lanka’s challenging path towards economic recovery and stability” was held under the patronage of Chief Guest, Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the President of Sri Lanka. The Keynote speaker was Mr. Alejandro Alare de la Campa, Country Manager, International Finance Corporation (IFC). 

Chief Guest, President Wickremesinghe, in his speech, highlighted the need to focus on the development of financial and human capital in order to grow Sri Lanka’s economy. The President stated that the country must have a highly competitive private-led economy. In order to recover, the President observed that the banking sector needed to be restructured while getting foreign investment capital was a priority.

President Wickremesinghe expressed the hope that the OPA, as a multi-disciplinary apex body, would play its part in developing the human resources of the country.

The keynote address was subsequently delivered by Mr. Alejandro Alare de la Campa, who pointed out that revenue centered fiscal consolidation and debt management were crucial for the country to achieve growth again. Structural and energy reforms were also important. He noted that social protection reforms were required to benefit the most vulnerable sections of society.

The welcome speech was made by OPA President Ms. Ruchira Gunasekera, while the introductory remarks were delivered by President-Elect Mr. Sarath Gamage. The evening concluded with a Vote of Thanks by General Secretary Mr. Sujeewa Lal Dahanayake.

The technical sessions of the Annual Conferences were held the following day. The subjects of these sessions were “Mapping growth strategies for the manufacturing and renewable energy sectors”, “Entrepreneurship and SMEs as accelerators of growth”, “Attracting FDIs and promoting domestic investments”, “Achieving export-oriented growth”, and “Tourism and foreign employment”.