Western Province Governor and Presidential Special Envoy for Foreign Investment Hanif Yusoof met US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Helberg at the State Department in Washington on Monday, in the first official engagement of an investment promotion visit.
In a statement after the meeting, Yusoof described the talks as “substantive and forward-looking” and said discussions focused on Sri Lanka’s next stage of growth and the role US investment and technology could play in ports, logistics, energy, and data centres.
Reflecting on lessons from Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis, Yusoof said the country’s path forward lies in “openness and a more confident engagement with the world,” adding that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake remains committed to building a more open, competitive and investment-ready economy. He acknowledged Sri Lanka has historically been overlooked on the global stage due to its size, but argued that its strategic location, institutional strengths and ability to connect regional economies “offer advantages that go beyond geography and population”.
The Governor said Under Secretary Helberg showed “a strong understanding” of Sri Lanka’s opportunities and “interest in advancing cooperation to fast-track investment and growth,” and expressed hope Helberg would visit Sri Lanka to see the country’s potential first-hand.
The Washington meeting follows Yusoof’s April 23 virtual roundtable with US companies including SpaceX, Apple, Amazon and Google under the Presidential Investment Promotion Office, and lines up with the IMF’s broader push for foreign direct investment as a precondition for upper-middle-income status. It also builds on the Investment Protection Act and single-window investor platform unveiled in May.
