Islamic Development Bank (IDB) President Dr. Ahmed Muhammad Ali has announced that the IDB Infrastructure Fund (IDBIF) committed an amount of $50 million for the Senai Desaru toll road project in Malaysia promoted by Ranhill Berhad. The $980 million IDBIF is the first investment vehicle of its type to focus on equity investment in infrastructure projects in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) countries. The fund had already committed more than $350 million for projects in power, petrochemical and transportation, and has a project pipeline of over $1 billion. “The fund’s investments are generating extremely attractive returns,” he said. The 77km Senai Desaru toll road, which will be built at a cost of $368 million, will link Senai in the west coast to the industrial town of Pasir Gudang in the south and the coastal resort of Desaru in the east of the State of Johor. This will be the catalyst for development in the east by linking the less developed eastern corridor to the industrial and commercial hub of Johor in the west. Senai Desaru Expressway Berhad, the concession company, was awarded a 33-year concession under Build-Operate-Transfer. Ranhill President & Chief Executive Hamdan Mohamad, who is also a director of Senai-Desaru Expressway Berhad, and Mumtaz Khan, chairman and CEO of Emerging Markets Partnership (Bahrain), the manager of the fund, signed the contract in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
SNAS/DHL
SNAS/DHL, the Saudi Arabian arm of the Deutsche Post World Net subsidiary, says it has boosted facilities linked to its tie up with the Kingdom’s Passport Office to ensure 24-hour turnaround through its Passport Express service during the peak summer period. Passport Express - one of SNAS/DHL’s key service offerings to both business and individuals - has been primed for the usual ‘summer rush’ with services, staff and resources expanded to meet the expected demand. The Saudi express and logistics major has capitalized on being allowed to set up an office with dedicated SNAS/DHL staff on the premises of the government organization. This is the key to its ability to deliver a premium service throughout the peak summer months. From this location SNAS/DHL is uniquely able to both collect and deliver all documentation, ensuring the fastest possible delivery. Passport Express is now unchallenged as the quickest and most convenient way, to apply for, and receive a variety of documents from the passport office. Its comprehensive range of express passport and visa services include the issue and renewal of iqamas, addition of dependents, cancellation of visas, re-entry and final exist visas, transfer of data, and transfer of sponsorship.
GOLINHARRIS
A. Lange & Sohne, a German precision watchmaker from Saxony, has appointed GolinHarris as its PR agency. The agency has a brief to develop the well-deserved brand equity for Lange in the region, Sukaiyna Gokal, brand manager Middle East, Lange Uhren GmbH, said. “We’ve our presence in the Middle East for several years, but we feel the time is right to increase awareness of our company, heritage, and exclusive timepieces we produce. We see the partnership with GolinHarris as an opportunity to educate both the media and our clients on all these aspects and look forward to a fruitful relationship.” Since the establishment of Saxony’s precision watch-making in Glashutte in 1845 by Adolph Lange, Lange & Sohne is still crafting the most coveted watches with aesthetic and technological features that are easily comparable with the most prestigious Swiss brands. In March this year, Lange announced the purchase of its sixth company building in Glashutte, requiring a capital investment of several million euros.
MOBILY
Mobily, the new mobile operator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, launched its first megastore in Alkhobar with the support of Eastern Province Governor Soulaiman ibn Abdulrahman Al-Thonaian. The branch contains all the services that the company offers to its customers in the Kingdom. Khaled Al-Kaff, Mobily CEO and managing director said: “Launching this megastore embodies our expansion strategy across the Kingdom. We’re intending to launch two more megastores in Riyadh and Jeddah within these coming weeks.” Mobily is seeking through establishing these branches to form an advanced communication platform answering to every demand by its customers, whilst providing them with premium services all around the Kingdom.” The inauguration held live demonstrations of the useful range of services provided by Mobily such as “Friend Finder,” which is a newly introduced service in the Kingdom and is activated free of charge upon subscription for all postpaid or prepaid Mobily customers. “The new service is a very easy method by which to locate your friends or family members across the Kingdom through SMS, MMS or on the Mobily WAP or Web Portal,” he said. MMS is another service introduced for the first time in the Kingdom, which entitles sending and receiving pictures, video clips and several multimedia files to all Mobily subscribers.
ARAMEX
ARAMEX International, a total transportation solutions provider in the Middle East & South Asia, has announced that it has acquired InfoFort, a document records management company in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). InfoFort, based in Dubai, has been operating in the UAE since 1999 and in Egypt since 2001. The company currently operates five facilities around the region. Following this acquisition, ARAMEX, which already has a list of specialized services under its belt, will introduce this unique service to more markets by capitalizing on its existing logistics expertise and infrastructure throughout the region. “The acquisition of InfoFort is a strategic move for our company. The unique combination of ARAMEX’s infrastructure and sales organization and InfoFort’s specialized products and services, will result in a range of product offerings that is unparalleled in any other service provider in our industry,” ARAMEX Dubai General Manager Hussein Hachem said.
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson has announced the immediate availability of the new Sony Ericsson J300i mobile phone in the Middle East. The new phone offers unmatched functionality in a slim, feature-rich package that promises to offer Middle East mobile users with the most up-to-date features at an affordable price. “The J300i removes the price barrier that prevents mobile users from enjoying the latest in multimedia and entertainment features in today’s mobile phones,” said Husni Al-Assi, general manager for Sony Ericsson Middle East & Africa (MEA). “From 3D gaming to advanced graphics and personalized phone covers, the J300i will meet the needs of today’s most demanding mobile users with style, affordability and a host of must-have features.” The new phone comes in a slim, curvy package and allows users to enjoy a host of features including composing ring tones, easy to download video and 3D games features, customized wallpapers and a large selection of Style-Up phone covers to allow users to change the appearance of their phone as they choose. It also allows for easy downloads of music files, as well as video clips.
