Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) has partnered with The Financial Times (FT) and fDi Magazine to present the ‘Kuwait Investment Outreach Roadshow’, which kicked off in London on the 8th of December 2017.
The ‘Kuwait Investment Outreach Roadshow’ aims at highlighting Kuwait’s key economic and investment developments as well as its competitive advantages.
KDIPA was represented by its Director General, H.E. Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who gave the opening keynote remarks.
The Roadshow included two presentations, one on the Middle East economic outlook with a focus on Kuwait by Mr. Farouk Soussa, Chief Economist at Citi Middle East; and the second on Kuwait’s plan for the future, by Dr. Khaled Mahdi, Secretary General for the Supreme Council for Planning and Development. The event also included a keynote speech by Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf, Chairman of Capital Markets Authority Board of Commissioners, Managing Director, on Kuwait’s emerging capital markets.
In addition, two panel discussions were held that shed light on the investment opportunities in Kuwait’s dynamic market. The first panel focused on New Kuwait from the public sector’s perspective and the panelists comprised of KDIPA Director General, Sheikh Nawaf Saud Nasir Al Sabah, Chief Executive Officer of the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), and Mr. Abdullah Al-Joaan, Chairman and President of the National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprise Development. The session discussed topics like the Kuwaiti government’s role in attracting FDI, the reasons businesses are choosing Kuwait as an investment destination, and the suitability of oil & gas and Fintech for FDI markets.
The second panel focused on the roles of finance and technology in Kuwait’s future from the private sector’s perspective. The panelists included Mr. Majed Al-Ajeel, Chairman of Burgan Bank and the Kuwait Banking Association, Mr. Manaf Al-Hajeri, Chief Executive Officer of the Kuwait Financial Center (Markaz), and Ms. Ghosson Al-Khaled, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ACICO Group. They addressed topics like the roles of FDI and capital markets in fostering a competitive business environment, the relationship between industry, technology and economy in Kuwait, and the impact of the banking sector on the economy.
Representatives from the event organizers Mr. Jonathan Wheatley, Deputy Emerging Markets Editor for the Financial Times and co-chair of the event, welcomed the guests and Ms. Courtney Fingar, Editor-in-Chief of fDi Magazine, FT Group, concluded the event with a closing remarks.
KDIPA was also represented by Mr. Mohammed Yaqoub, Assistant Director General for Business Development, Mr. Mohammed Al-Sabbagh, Head of Investors Targeting, Mr. Abdulrahim Ayad, Investor Targeting, and Mr. Faisal Hajji, Public Relations.
https://live.ft.com/Events/2017/Kuwait-Investment-Outreach-Roadshow-London
