President invited to 30th anniversary celebrations of global joint venture with De La Rue
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President Maithripala Sirisena and De La Rue officials.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena visited De La Rue Lanka Pvt Ltd on Monday to mark the 30th anniversary of the joint venture between the Government of Sri Lanka and De La Rue, the world’s top currency and passports’ printer.
The government holds a 40 per cent share in the organisation which employs over 300 people in the region, according to a De La Rue media release.
The President was joined at the factory by the British High Commissioner, James Dauris, and the Chief Executive of De La Rue, Martin Sutherland. Together they met key members of staff and toured the facility, which produces 1 billion high quality currency notes a year for the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as well as currencies for a significant number of (30) other countries around the world.
Speaking at the event, the President commented: “The fact that we are today celebrating 30 years of working together is a testament to the skills and capabilities of our Sri Lankan people, and the fact that we can play a significant role in the global economy. Partnerships like this are exactly what Sri Lanka needs to cement its reputation as a destination for investment from global companies. I look forward to many years of continued success for this venture.”
De La Rue supplies currency, passports and tax stamps to over 140 countries globally. Speaking at the event, Martin Sutherland, the Chief Executive commented: “For our business to operate on a truly global scale, we need the very best partners. We are delighted to have been working with the government and people of Sri Lanka for the last 30 years. Earlier this year, we announced that we have also chosen this site to be one of the three key international centres of excellence for global bank note production, together with Gateshead in the UK and Nairobi in Kenya. As a result we will be investing locally to upgrade equipment, technology and skills to further enable De La Rue Lanka to compete effectively on a global scale”.