Nirmala Paranavithana, the first woman to serve as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), has presented her credentials to UNECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete.
The appointment marks a significant milestone for women’s leadership in the Sri Lanka Foreign Service and represents a new development in Sri Lanka-Africa relations.
Following the presentation of credentials, discussions focused on strengthening South-South cooperation, investment, technology transfer and private sector participation between Sri Lanka and African countries.
Several potential areas of cooperation were discussed, including the exchange of rice cultivation technology with Burundi, cassava value-addition projects with the Central African Republic, energy sector development with Cameroon and the establishment of a disaster management centre in Chad.
The discussions also covered opportunities to strengthen maritime security and fisheries cooperation with Somalia and Djibouti.
Sri Lankan investment opportunities in Ethiopia’s dairy production and food processing sectors were also highlighted. Gatete commended Sri Lanka’s proactive approach and emphasized the need to move beyond traditional bilateral relations towards broader economic partnerships that could benefit the wider African region.
The initiative aims to contribute to African development by sharing Sri Lanka’s expertise in agriculture, disaster management and maritime affairs, while creating new opportunities for trade, investment and employment for Sri Lanka.
