Sri Lanka’s new government is exploring options to attract more foreign direct investments into expressways and other infrastructure projects, State Minister for Investment Promotion Keheliya Rambukwella said.

“I don’t think we need any foreign support right now. Instead of loans, it is time to look at foreign direct investment. We have taken enough loans. During our tenure, we have taken Rs.5 trillion. But, there were assets to prove that the funds were used effectively,” Minister Rambukwella said.

“Norochcholai which cost around Rs.1 billion has been acknowledged by the auditor general as the most profitable venture that we have embarked on. In addition, the Southern Expressway is almost making more than anticipated profits. So we will be in a position to market those with international investors. Because these projects are profitable and they can even build highways getting to infrastructure development in terms of build-operate-transfer (BOT) style,” he added.