Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka)
AHK Sri Lanka has been founded in March 2018 based on an agreement between the German and the Sri Lankan government. AHKs are institutions of German foreign trade promotion. The Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) coordinates and continuously develops the network of German Chambers of Commerce Abroad. They are proportionately funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi). Being the official representative of German business in Sri Lanka its main task is to promote bilateral business relations and to provide services to companies from both countries. Since then, AHK Sri Lanka has been organizing more than 20 business delegations to both countries and more than 60 conferences and events including trade fair pavilions in Sri Lanka and Germany.
AHK Sri Lanka has set up several sector committees (health, tourism, investments, agriculture, and construction) to promote the dialogue between German businesses and their Sri Lankan partners. In cooperation with the German Embassy the German Sri Lankan Fast Track Dialogue was set up with Sri Lankan authorities. Within this frame several meetings with decision makers of the Sri Lankan government such as the Secretary to the President, Dr. P.B. Jayasundara, and German businesses were organized.
As a service provider, AHK Sri Lanka offers business partner search, market information, trade fair services, vocational training, legal information, debt collection etc. More than 3000 Sri Lankan and German companies are continuously updated about current developments related to bilateral trade and investments through a monthly newsletter.
One of the annual major events of AHK Sri Lanka is Top German Brands, attended by the German Ambassador H.E. Holger Seubert and high-ranking representatives of the Sri Lankan authorities as well as decision makers of German and Sri Lankan businesses. 176 German brands have joined this year’s initiative. During the event, participating German brands representatives will get the opportunity to underline their role as strategic partners in Sri Lanka, enhance networking prospects among industry players and identify opportunities for future cooperation. 178 representatives of German brands have participated with German Ambassador Holger Seubert, BOI Chairman Sanjaya Mohottala and Chief Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka Andreas Hergenröther in the virtual kickoff event. German businesses have been for years strategic partners in Sri Lanka, in 2020 Germany was the third largest export market for Sri Lankan companies. During the first six months of 2021 Sri Lankan exports to Germany rose by more than 20%, while German exports rose by only 2%.
Furthermore, AHK Sri Lanka in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) has launched an initiative to support Sri Lankan exporters regarding the certification of sustainable supply chains in the sectors of textile/apparel, rubber, and agriculture/food in order to facilitate market access to the European Union and to increase global competitiveness. The initiative has been recently extended to the tourism sector. In cooperation with the Berlin based think tank Loening Human Rights and Responsible Business, AHK Sri Lanka and FNF kicked off in August 2021 the Sri Lanka Sustainable Tourism Initiative. The Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Advisory Committee, the Presidents of five major Sri Lankan tourism associations and the founding member of this initiative signed in the presence of German Ambassador Holger Seubert and the organizers a commitment and a self-obligation with regards to UN-Sustainable Development Goals.
Regarding vocational training, AHK Sri Lanka is currently offering in cooperation with GIZ Train the Trainer modules and certification according to the German ADA/AEVO standard. The cooperation with GIZ has been extended to the vocational training and certification of warehouse operators and opticians in 2021. Furthermore, in cooperation with DIMO dual vocational training is provided to certify automobile mechatronics and plant technicians according to German vocational training standards.
In 2021 virtual business delegations, conferences and B2B-meetings on energy efficiency industry have been organized in the frame of the initiative Energy Solutions Made In Germany funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi).
Mid-August 2021 a virtual business delegation and conference with integrated B2B-meetings for Organic Sourcing has been organized in cooperation with GIZ within in a common project to support the export of organic products. The project is co-funded by the EU and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation (BMZ).
AHK Sri Lanka is part of the AHK-German Chamber Network supported by Germanys Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). With 142 AHK-offices around the world and 79 CCIs – Chambers of Commerce and Industry - in Germany, representing in total 3.6 million German member companies, AHKs provide access to a unique global network to promote bilateral business ties.
In order to receive our monthly free AHKnewsletter please subscribe https://srilanka.ahk.de/en/ newsletter-subscription, to obtain more information please contact AHK
Sri Lanka under communication@srilanka. ahk.de or consult our homepage: www.srilanka.ahk.de
Please follow AHK Sri Lanka on Facebook - https:// www.facebook. com/AHKSriLanka
and LinkedIn https://lk.linkedin.com/ company/ahk-srilanka. -