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Tag: Bryce Hutchesson

Australia grants Sri Lanka Rs.3.8 billion in assistance to strengthen good governance for growth
31Jan By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
Business

Australia grants Sri Lanka Rs.3.8 billion in assistance to strengthen good governance for growth

The Governments of Sri Lanka and Australia Tuesday signed a regulatory agreement for AUD 31 million (Rs. 3.85 billion) grant assistance for a four-year program to strengthen good governance for growth in Sri Lanka. Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media Dr. R H. S. Samaratunga and Australian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Mr. Bryce Hutchesson signed the agreement on the 30th of January 2018 at the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media. The program will support activities that improve the policy formation and delivery capabilities of government at national, provincial and local levels to bring about inclusive economic growth, the Finance ministry said in a statement. The governance for growth program aims to support Sri Lanka's efforts to increase economic growth and spr...
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Australia-Sri Lanka trade reaches $1.3 billion
10Jan By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
Business

Australia-Sri Lanka trade reaches $1.3 billion

Trade between Australia and Sri Lanka has surged to a record high of A$1.3 billion in 2016-17, on the back of strong growth in trade in services, up more than 27 percent. Growth for the year overall was more than 15 percent, continuing the strong trend growth of 8.6 percent over the past five years, the Australian High Commission in Colombo said. Education continues to grow as a pillar of the economic relationship with more than 9500 enrolments by Sri Lankan students to study in Australia and thousands more pursuing Australian-affiliated studies locally. The rapid growth in Australian tourists visiting Sri Lanka (up almost 10 percent for the year) saw Sri Lanka's services exports to Australia grow by more than 36 percent. Merchandise trade remained steady at around $480 million, b...
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Dialog Axiata and the Australian government pilot a digital payment platform in Northern Sri Lanka
30Nov By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
Business

Dialog Axiata and the Australian government pilot a digital payment platform in Northern Sri Lanka

Dialog Axiata PLC and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) collaborated to pilot a digital payment platform roll-out across 200 ATM (Automated Teller Machine) locations in Sri Lanka's Northern Province. The announcement was made at the launch ceremony held in Jaffna. With LKR 60 million from DFAT's Business Partnerships Platform and LKR 91 million of its own funding, Dialog intends to reach and support underbanked communities with its state-of-the-art digital payment retail system. Customers in 200 locations will be able to withdraw money via eZ Cash across a wide network of corner stores and ATMs by just using their mobile phones. eZ Cash is a mobile wallet, which is licensed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Customers can easily transact on-the-go and pay for ...
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Australian High Commissioner congratulates Australia Awards recipients
11Nov By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
Business

Australian High Commissioner congratulates Australia Awards recipients

Australian High Commissioner Bryce Hutchesson hosted a reception in Colombo on 7 November to congratulate 30 Sri Lankans who have been offered Australia Awards scholarships to study at Australian universities in 2018. The recipients will undertake master's degrees at Australia's top universities in a range of fields including public policy, international trade and development, human resource management, engineering management, clinical psychology and international business. "Australia is a leading provider of tertiary education, demonstrated by the increasing numbers of students studying there. Currently there are 708,000 international students enrolled in Australian universities, up from 640,000 last year. This includes a growing number of Sri Lankan students," said Mr Hutchesson. ...
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