Thilan Wijesinghe, Chairman of TWC Group recently addressed global policymakers and experts at the ORF Cape Town Conversation, recently held in Cape Town, South Africa. Co-hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation (TMF), the event served as a critical platform for addressing pressing global South’s challenges, including the future of the Blue Economy. ORF - a globally renowned think tank based in India, has over the last 30 years evolved from primarily looking inward and engaging with domestic reforms, to gradually forging global partnerships. ORF today plays a seminal role in building political and policy consensus that enables the global south to interact with the world.

At the conference, Thilan provided insights on how to bridge the gap between high-level policy discourse and actionable strategies, focusing on inclusive frameworks that protect coastal communities while enabling economic growth. By spotlighting real-world examples and advocating for pragmatic solutions, Thilan underscored the importance of aligning investment with community resilience and environmental sustainability, meeting the growing demand for transformative leadership in addressing climate and development challenges.

Thilan also advocated for the implementation of global initiatives such as the G20’s Oceans20 and the importance of gender-sensitive policies, re-skilling opportunities for women, and multilateral collaboration to foster meaningful and equitable change in the sector. “As a financial and PPP practitioner, I see a growing necessity for finance ministries of the Global South to up their game in designing projects that tap into the climate financing market, whether through blue bonds, debt-for-nature swaps or other instruments. Countries such as Belize and Ecuador have shown us what is possible, reducing their debt loads significantly through such mechanisms,” noted Investment Banker, Owner of TWC Group, and pioneer of PPPs in Sri Lanka - Thilan Wijesinghe.

Wijesinghe further stated, “Successful implementation requires bringing together governments, private sector, financiers, and a robust Public-Private Partnership (PPP) unit that generates project designs that unlock the full potential of climate financing for sustainable, community-driven development across the Global South.”

Thilan Wijesinghe, Chairman and Managing Director, TWCorp Pvt Ltd speaking at the ORF Cape Town Conversation held in South Africa

Image Caption : Panelists at the Cape Town Conversation 2024 (from left) Left to right: Olta Manjani, Deputy Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation, Albania; Dolapo Oluteye, Senior Research Fellow, Energy and Transport Policy, Energy Institute, University College London, United Kingdom; Thilan Wijesinghe, Chairman and Managing Director, TWCorp Pvt Ltd., Sri Lanka; and Simone Smith-Godfrey, Founder, Blue Heritage Chamber of Commerce, South Africa; with Panel Moderator - Moira Feil, Head of Division Multilateral Development Policy, G20/G7, OECD/DAC, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany