JEDDAH, 22 October 2007 — Prominent Saudi businessmen and investors will participate in a state-sponsored Tunisian economic conference on Nov. 9. The conference is organized by the Business and Finance Group in collaboration with that country’s foreign investment promotion agency, financial market authority and the federation of industry and trade, according to a high-ranking Tunisian official. A number of large companies and business establishments in the Arab world and outside are also cooperating in organizing the conference.
Leading personalities who contributed to the growth of trade and industry in the country would be honored. They include, among others, Saudi businessmen Fahd Al-Adhl and Saleh Kamil. The other leading Saudi participants include Suleiman ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Majid, president of the Tanmiat Group and Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Saeedan, director general of Al-Saeedan for Tourism Real Estate and Investments.
“The conference coincides with the country’s launching of the 11th development plan. The plan’s priorities include encouraging direct foreign investment by with attractive incentives for massive investments in the planned projects and existing sectors. These sectors include, among others, information technology, telecommunication, electrical and electronic industries,” Muhammad Nuri Al-Jowaini, minister of development and international cooperation said in Tunis recently.
The minister also commended the current flow of Arab and Gulf investments to Tunisia that helped accelerate the country’s economic development. He noted that the businessmen from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria and Qatar were the major Arab investors in his country.
The map of huge infrastructure development projects requiring massive investments will be unveiled at the conference. The projects include construction of roads, airports, seaports, power generation plants, tourist facilities and real estate development programs besides the infrastructure for health, education, information technology and telecommunications sectors.
Investment opportunities in the country’s stock market, which has been showing signs of rapid progress following the entry of foreign investors particularly from the Gulf region and other foreign countries, will also be discussed.
Besides the development and international cooperation minister, the speakers in the conference include, Tunisian Finance Minister Muhammad Rasheed Kasheesh, Tourism Minister Khaleel Al-Ojaimi, Industry and Power Minister Afeef Shalbi, Sudan’s state Minister for Finance and National Economy Ahmad Al-Majdhoub, Governor of Tunisian Central Bank Tawfeeq Bakkar, Director General of Arab Monetary Fund Jassem Al-Manaei and other leading businessmen and officials from Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Algeria and Syria.