Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Explore New Avenues for Strengthening Economic Cooperation

The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Bangladesh, Dharmapala Weerakkody, met with  the President of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), Taskeen Ahmed, on  18 October 2026 at the DCCI office in Gulshan, Dhaka, to explore avenues for strengthening economic, trade and investment cooperation between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) is a prominent private-sector business  organisation in Bangladesh that represents businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly in  Dhaka, and promotes trade, investment and industrial development through policy advocacy,  business networking and public-private sector collaboration. 

The discussions focused on enhancing bilateral trade and investment by creating opportunities  for the business communities of both countries in pharmaceuticals, Information Technology  (IT), renewable energy, logistics, tourism and other emerging sectors. 

During the meeting, High Commissioner Weerakkody briefed the DCCI President on Sri  Lanka Expo 2027, Sri Lanka’s premier international trade exhibition, scheduled to be held  from 14 to 17 January 2027 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall  (BMICH) in Colombo. He invited the DCCI to facilitate the participation of a business  delegation at the exhibition, which will provide a platform for businesses from both countries  to explore trade, investment and commercial partnerships. 

The DCCI President welcomed the initiative and expressed a positive response to the  proposed participation of a business delegation at Sri Lanka Expo 2027, highlighting the  potential to strengthen business-to-business linkages and expand bilateral trade and  investment. 

Highlighting advances in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector in both countries, the DCCI  President invited Sri Lanka to participate in the “Bangladesh AI Business Summit 2026”,  organised by the DCCI in partnership with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)  of Bangladesh. The Summit is scheduled to be held on 5 November 2026 at the Bangladesh 

China Friendship Conference Center (BCFCC) in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. 

The meeting also underscored the importance of strengthening direct engagement between  the private sectors of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and identifying new areas of collaboration to  support sustained economic growth and closer bilateral relations. 

The Second Secretary of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Dhaka, Gayanga Dias, the  Vice President of the DCCI, Md. Salem Sulaiman, and other senior DCCI officials were also  present at the meeting.