The Cabinet has approved a National Business Facilitation Centre to streamline investment approvals across multiple government agencies, addressing long-standing administrative delays that have hindered local investment.
Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers has approved the creation of a National Business Facilitation Centre under the Presidential Secretariat, designed to consolidate fragmented investment approval processes currently scattered across numerous government institutions. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa explained that investors currently face significant delays navigating separate approvals for land allocation, environmental clearances, regulatory permits, and utility connections from bodies including the Central Environmental Authority, Urban Development Authority, and Inland Revenue Department.
Jayatissa clarified that the new centre will not replace the existing Board of Investment, but rather coordinate across agencies that currently operate in isolation with minimal communication. A national-level steering committee comprising ministry secretaries and heads of relevant institutions will oversee cross-agency coordination under the Presidential Secretariat's oversight. The centre will be staffed through secondments from both public and private sectors as well as contract-based positions.
The initiative responds to complaints that the burden of securing multiple approvals falls directly on investors and industrialists, creating substantial administrative obstacles to project development. By centralising coordination and reducing the requirement for businesses to navigate multiple institutions individually, the facility aims to make Sri Lanka a more attractive investment destination and accelerate the pace of business expansion across the country.
