Join Sri Lanka’s journey to end poverty and promote prosperity

(A 90-day reflection of the new Country Director of the World Bank)

I take this opportunity to thank all the Sri Lankans that opened their minds and hearts to help me understand the country context and constraints. During my first 90 days in Sri Lanka my colleagues and our clients gave me a warm welcome. I first met our core counterparts in the Government of Sri Lanka when I visited in July 2016. I have since travelled outside of Colombo several times, and I have met with many of our clients, development partners and stakeholders. I have also had the privilege to meet with our friends from the media, civil society groups, academia and private sector to better understand the current operating environment and discuss solutions to issues of common interest.

Cricket in Sri Lanka is followed with so much passion and enthusiasm. This thrilled me as it is the same in my home country, Zimbabwe. Many things about Sri Lanka and its people and culture bring back fond memories from home. Sri Lanka to me now is a second home so I am often torn with who to support when Sri Lanka plays Zimbabwe. It’s even harder to know how to react when Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe recently.

I recently read an article by Kumar Sangakkara on the ‘ Spirit of Cricket’. What an apt article. It just demonstrated so much what one can do when they find a common thread that they are all passionate about. Sri Lanka has many lessons to teach and to learn from the game of cricket.

I join my view into that of the article that all Sri Lankans will need to work together regardless of location, gender, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation and social status. The focus should be on Sri Lanka’s priorities for development and how the Sri Lankan people can work together to win the match of ending poverty and sharing prosperity.

Smart investments in Sri Lanka’s human capital to improve the country’s competitiveness, fiscal management, social inclusion and protecting Sri Lanka’s natural environment are the priority development areas that have been agreed to jointly by the World Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka and its development partners. Our recently completed Country Partnership Framework lays a contribution, amongst other plans to support the government in addressing development issues.

There are many development partners in Sri Lanka doing great work and I am committed to continuing to work with them as a part of the broader team. We have been collectively taking stock of what other partners are doing in order to add value, avoid duplication and increase outcomes and impact.

I also believe we need to use the power of communication and effective engagement with stakeholders. Using evidence to support constructive debates, respectfully articulating differences in views will enable a healthy dialogue and a diverse set of solutions.

This will be, I hope, a first in many blogs to come. As such, I would like to extend an open invitation to you to provide your comments, suggestions and opinions on how the bank can work better and more deeply to deliver on the country’s development plans.

I recently read an article by Kumar Sangakkara on the ‘Spirit of Cricket’. What an apt article. It just demonstrated so much what one can do when they find a common thread that they are all passionate about. Sri Lanka has many lessons to teach and to learn from the game of cricket.