Port City Colombo has intensified its efforts to attract investment from the Gulf region through a series of high-level investor engagements held across the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar.
The initiative included a key investor engagement held on 25 September 2026 at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, bringing together senior UAE business leaders, investors and institutional stakeholders to explore Sri Lanka’s investment potential and the opportunities available within the Colombo Port City Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The Abu Dhabi engagement was the centrepiece of a seven-day Gulf investment promotion programme covering Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Doha. The programme reflected the growing interest among Gulf-based investors in Port City Colombo, following a series of successful investment promotion activities conducted throughout 2026.
The latest Gulf programme was organised in response to the strong interest generated by Port City Colombo’s investment promotion initiatives during the year, as well as the growing interest among government and institutional investors in Abu Dhabi in Sri Lanka’s investment opportunities.
The Abu Dhabi investor engagement was organised jointly by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates and Port City Colombo.
Addressing the gathering, Her Excellency Professor Arusha Kure, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates, highlighted the strength of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the UAE and the role Port City Colombo can play in further strengthening economic ties.
“The United Arab Emirates is Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and Sri Lanka’s sixth-largest investor,” she said. “Port City Colombo demonstrates Sri Lanka’s economic development and readiness to welcome Gulf investment. For UAE investors seeking access to South Asia, Port City Colombo offers a modern, internationally oriented business environment comparable to what they already experience in the UAE.”
The event also featured Feryal Ahmadi, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer of DMCC, as the chief guest. She discussed changing patterns in global trade and the increasingly important role that free zones can play in connecting businesses with new markets.
According to Ahmadi, research indicates that 35% of global trade is expected to take place between countries in the Global South over the next decade, compared with 25% among countries in the Global North. She noted that free zones in strategic locations such as Dubai, Singapore and Colombo could increasingly serve as important hubs for businesses seeking access to emerging markets.
Colombo’s Strategic Position for Global Investment
President’s Counsel Harsha Amarasekera, Chairman of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, highlighted the similarities between Abu Dhabi’s development as an international investment hub and Sri Lanka’s own strategic geographic advantages.
He noted that Abu Dhabi’s emergence as a global trade and investment centre has been supported by its strategic location connecting East and West, strong state resources and progressive regulatory framework.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, benefits from its central location in the Indian Ocean and naturally deep-water ports, creating significant strategic advantages for international trade and investment.
“This geographical strength provides a strong foundation for relationships between the two countries and with investors,” Amarasekera said. “Port City Colombo is not simply a development project. It is a national-level strategic initiative designed to establish Sri Lanka as a reliable and interconnected business hub linking South Asia, the Middle East, Asia and other regions.”
Investment-Friendly Regulatory Framework
Providing an update on the current investment progress at Port City Colombo, Revan Wickramasuriya, Director General of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, outlined several features of its regulatory framework that are designed to meet the requirements of international and Gulf-based investors.
These include a single-window system for facilitating services, a foreign currency-based operating environment, investor protection mechanisms and a Sharia-compliant financial framework.
The framework is intended to create a business environment that provides greater convenience and certainty for international investors while supporting the establishment of businesses within the Port City Colombo SEZ.
Concluding the official proceedings, Radhika Obeyesekere, Commercial Director of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, acknowledged the significant support provided by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the UAE in facilitating the investor engagement.
Strengthening Gulf Investment Partnerships
Commenting on the significance of the Gulf investment promotion programme, Xiong Hongfeng, Managing Director of CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, said the discussions held across Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Doha demonstrated growing recognition of Port City Colombo as a platform for connecting Gulf investors with South Asian growth opportunities.
“The discussions across Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Doha have clearly demonstrated that Gulf investors recognise Port City Colombo as a reliable and familiar platform for connecting with South Asian growth,” he said. “We look forward to transforming these discussions into successful investment partnerships in the future.”
Expanding Engagement With Oman
Prior to the Abu Dhabi investor engagement, the Port City Colombo delegation conducted a series of high-level bilateral meetings in Muscat, Oman.
The delegation met with senior representatives of Khazaen Economic City, the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), and Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.
Among those involved in the discussions were Engineer Salim bin Sulaiman Al Tuhaili, CEO of Khazaen Economic City; His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Abdullah Al Rawas, Chairman of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry; His Excellency Pankaj Khimji, Royal Adviser for Foreign Trade and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and Director of Khimji Ramdas; and His Excellency Ghalib bin Saeed bin Majid Al Maamari, Undersecretary for Commerce and Industry.
The meetings built on relationships established through a Port City Colombo investor engagement in Muscat in June 2026 and a visit by an Omani delegation to Port City Colombo in August.
Discussions focused on bilateral trade and investment opportunities, the Oman-South Asia investment and trade corridor, and opportunities for Omani businesses to establish operations within the Port City Colombo SEZ framework.
Strengthening Ties With Qatar
The Gulf promotion programme concluded in Doha, Qatar, with a special meeting between the Port City Colombo delegation and His Excellency Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Thwar Al Kuwari, First Vice Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The engagement represented another important step in strengthening Port City Colombo’s relationships with Qatar’s business and investment community.
The meeting was held under the leadership of Her Excellency Sithara Khan, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar, and organised with the support of the Embassy of Sri Lanka.
The Port City Colombo delegation also held discussions with senior representatives of the Sri Lankan diplomatic mission, the Qatar-Sri Lanka Business Council, Sri Lanka Coordination Committee (SLCC), and Sri Lanka Business and Professional Council (SLBPC).
Through these high-level diplomatic and business engagements, Port City Colombo further expanded its investment promotion activities in Qatar while strengthening institutional and commercial relationships. The discussions also created new opportunities for continued dialogue, collaboration and bilateral investment between Sri Lanka and Qatar.
Positioning Port City Colombo as a South Asian Investment Hub
The Gulf investment promotion programme forms part of Port City Colombo’s broader strategy to position Sri Lanka as a competitive destination for international investment.
Port City Colombo is being developed as a world-class business and modern lifestyle destination in South Asia, covering approximately 269 hectares along the main East-West maritime route.
The development is positioned as Sri Lanka’s first multi-service Special Economic Zone dedicated to foreign currency-based operations and is the country’s largest public-private partnership development project.
Governed by the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, Port City Colombo operates under a specialised regulatory framework designed to provide international standards, investor protection, ease of doing business and a range of competitive financial and non-financial incentives.
The project is designed to attract high-value foreign direct investment (FDI) across sectors including financial services, information technology and digital services, global trade, maritime and supply-chain services, professional services and regional headquarters operations.
With an estimated total development value of US$15 billion upon completion, Port City Colombo is expected to contribute to employment generation, knowledge transfer and long-term economic growth in Sri Lanka.
Further information on investment opportunities at Port City Colombo is available through the official Port City Colombo website and the Colombo Port City Economic Commission’s website, which provides information on investment facilitation and the regulatory framework.
