Port City Colombo courts UAE investors at Dubai economic forum

Dubai and the Northern Emirates, in collaboration with the Colombo Port City Economic Commission and CHEC Port City Colombo Pvt. Ltd., hosted Globalisation and the Sri Lankan Opportunity - From Recovery to Relevance: Sri Lanka's Moment in the Evolving Global and Regional Economy, an invitation-only diplomatic and investment engagement at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre.

The forum brought together approximately 200 senior leaders from UAE corporates and business chambers alongside Sri Lanka's senior diplomatic and investment representatives. Participants included executives from Sobha Realty, Binghatti, Oracle, Emirates Airlines, First Abu Dhabi Bank, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, IFS, Danube and Samana Developers, reflecting growing UAE interest in Sri Lanka's evolving economic prospects.

Opening the forum, Prof. Arusha Cooray, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates, reaffirmed Sri Lanka's commitment to taking bilateral relations into a new phase driven by opportunities for UAE businesses seeking to expand across South Asia.

The keynote address was delivered by Ghanim Al Falasi, CEO of Falak Tayyeb Platinum and Senior Vice President/Director General’s Office of Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), who highlighted the opportunities South Asia's emerging economic platforms offer forward-looking UAE businesses.

He noted that while Dubai provides global access to capital and logistics, Colombo offers strategic access to South Asia, with the two cities functioning as complementary platforms serving mutually reinforcing roles in the regional economy.

Hanif Yusoof, Presidential Special Envoy for Foreign Investment, outlined Sri Lanka's investment vision and underscored the Government's commitment to Port City Colombo as a key driver of long-term economic transformation.

He invited UAE businesses to view Port City Colombo and Sri Lanka as a gateway to South Asia, similar to Dubai's role as a gateway to the Middle East and North Africa, enabling Gulf-based businesses to expand their regional footprint.

Harsha Amarasekera PC, Chairman of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, provided an overview of Port City Colombo's commercial momentum and the strong investor interest generated over the past 12 to 18 months.

The centrepiece of the forum was a moderated panel discussion led by Kris Wadia. Panellists Aaron Russell-Davison, Skandan 'Ramesh' Mahalingam, Bapsy Dastur and Thulci Aluwihare shared insights spanning international capital markets, governance, UAE business development and real estate, generating strong engagement from the audience.

The forum also marked the ceremonial onboarding of Mujtaba Shaikhani, Founder and Principal of MH Investments and Managing Director of Gulf O Flex, as Strategic Partner and Director for GCC and Pakistan of CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. He oversees operations across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka and has been recognised on the HVAC Power 30 list and as CEO of the Year by CBN Middle East.

Xiong Hongfeng, Managing Director of CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd., said the strong interest shown by leading UAE businesses and investors demonstrates Port City Colombo's emergence as a platform for South Asia, offering regulatory clarity, high-quality infrastructure and regional connectivity for globally mobile businesses and capital.