Category: Watch Tower
Opinion: A new deal for Sri Lanka
By Mangala Samaraweera: The worst economic crisis since Independence is upon us. For some decades now the grim clouds of debt, waste and corruption have been gathering over our island. Now – as this fearsome storm of the Corona virus unleashes its fury – anguish and desperation, grief and sorrow, fear and rage, will engulf […]
COVID-19: out of chaos comes opportunity. But opportunity must be seized to become reality.
By Jekhan Aruliah Tinned fish to tin houses: in the weeks of the 2020 Corona curfews we frequently saw on television and on Facebook fish in metal tins donated to families in metal huts. The Covid-19 Crisis shone a stark light on the large segment of our population in Sri Lanka living in chronic dire […]
Opinion: Innovation in the Lockdown era — A frugal approach
By Shane Herath There’s an unprecedented level of uncertainty and even panic regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it has on the industries that we operate in, and the world at large. Businesses worldwide are preparing for the worst — with the virus not showing any signs of slowing down — taking action to […]
Opinion: Do modern risk methods adept to recognize corporates’ defaults due to COVID-19
By Gayan Gunewardana, Bsc/MBA/CIMA/CGMA/AIB/FRM (Banking consultant & independent researcher – Middle East) The global “war” on COVID-19 pandemic and related economic impact most certainly could lead to a global recession. This will push further 500m people into extreme poverty as per estimates. Despite, the number of initiatives by governments in terms of new regulations and […]
COVID-19: Have global banks ascertained key industrial impacts, prior to offer solutions
By Gayan Gunewardana: The 2019 novel- Coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak, which originated in China has infected nearly 700,000 people globally till date. The impact has left businesses around the globe counting costs and more likely A global-recession would be a definite norm as per IMF’s projections. It’s a challenging task to gage the potential economic or […]
BBK Partnership, Jaffna’s accountants to the World
I first heard of the BBK Partnership Sri Lanka in 2015. I first spoke with its co-founder Anandan Arnold in 2018, and finally met him in March 2020 at a hospital in Manipay Jaffna. He was dressed rather informally for a Partner of London’s BBK Partnership of Chartered Accountants. Anandan (pictured below on the right) […]
Uki offers an alternate route from the Northern Province into the tech industry
By Jekhan Aruliah Does Sri Lanka need more university graduates? Sri Lanka has tens of thousands of unemployed graduates. Every now and then the government brings thousands more of them into the Public Service, further bloating an already bloated service. In December 2019 a government minister promised jobs for all 64,000 (his figures) unemployed graduates! […]
Opinion: Hayleys Fentons MD bullish on construction, renewables despite challenges
As an industry which relies on large scale investments to fund long-term projects, the construction sector is by nature, a business that relies on confidence, precision, and quality. One of the sector’s leading the charge on these fronts is Hayleys Fentons. Since its establishment in 1921 and acquisition, followed by the recent rebranding under the […]
Opinion: Act carefully or drown: 3 lessons from New Orleans for Sri Lanka
By Asmita Tiwari, Suranga Kahandawa, Masatsugu Takamatsu & Keiko Sakoda Our hearts sank as we looked at the Hurricane Katrina-affected house, now the Flooded House Museum in the City of New Orleans, United States. Our team from the World Bank was accompanying Sri Lankan officers visiting New Orleans in October 2019, to learn from the […]
Tourism, the Northern Province Game Changer
By Jekhan Aruliah Tourism is the single most game-changing opportunity for the North. Game changing because for those visitors with eyes to see and ears to hear it opens a wide window to all the other non-tourism opportunities in this province. As they enjoy the hospitality, the food, the sites and the scenery a few […]
‘s Debt Crisis is more serious than you imagine
Context A Team of Leading Economists/Analysts in January 2019 alerted the Leaders in Governance that it is likely that the ballooning external debt commitment will lead to a sovereign bond default unless drastic and sustainable actions are taken to: Overcome the culture of running high fiscal deficits indulging in extravagant, conspicuous and unproductive investments/imports and spends. Rapidly […]
Will Jaffna International Airport help the Northern economy take-off at last?
By Jekhan Aruliah The opening, strictly speaking the re-opening, of Jaffna International Airport (IATA airport code JAF) in October 2019 was one of the more startling events in the North since the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. In the North we held our breaths as the promise, unfulfilled for years, approached […]