📈 Port City Seeks Global Operators for University, Hospital, and School

The Colombo Port City Economic Commission will shortly invite Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for an international university, hospital, and school to build the institutional foundations required to attract multinational companies and skilled professionals. • Key Infrastructure: Globally recognized education and healthcare facilities are deemed fundamental to Port City's success as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). They are expected to strengthen domestic sectors and reduce foreign exchange outflows for overseas education and medical treatment. • Dollarised Regime: Operating as a service-centric SEZ serving overseas markets, transactions are currently permitted in 14 foreign currencies under a dollarised framework. • Talent Supply & Visas: Commission Chairman Harsha Amarasekera highlighted that a shortage of skilled local technology professionals constrains large ICT/BPM investments. As a transitional measure for knowledge transfer, companies can recruit foreign professionals (e.g., from India). Transferred personnel can obtain visas within 4 days. • Project Timeline: 5 developments are currently under construction. An additional 5 are targeted for award by year-end, with 2 smaller projects slated for completion before December 2026 to accelerate commercial operations. • Land Ownership: The Commission reiterated that all reclaimed land remains 100% owned by the Government of Sri Lanka and vested in the Commission, with specific parcels leased to the developer solely to recover reclamation costs.