The Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT), jointly developed by India’s Adani International Port Holdings Pte Ltd and Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings PLC in partnership with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, has become the single largest contributor to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows for the first nine months of 2025.
According to the Board of Investment (BOI), CWIT invested USD 229 million during the January–September period to develop state-of-the-art port infrastructure under a strategic development agreement. This makes the project the leading driver of Sri Lanka’s investment inflows so far this year.
Overall, the BOI reported total FDI inflows — including foreign commercial loans to BOI-approved enterprises — reaching USD 827 million in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a 138% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The CWIT project, once completed, will add 3.2 million TEUs of annual capacity to the Port of Colombo, strengthening its position as a major transshipment hub for South Asia.
Providing a detailed breakdown, the BOI said the inflows comprised USD 133 million in equity capital, USD 132 million in reinvested retained earnings, USD 231 million in intra-company foreign borrowings, and USD 331 million in long-term foreign commercial loans. Of the total, USD 124 million came from new project agreements signed this year, while the remainder was generated through reinvestments and expansions by existing ventures.
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