04/06/07

Welcome to IDEA, the Agency of Innovation and Development of Andalucia!

We are pleased to announce that the Agency of Innovation and Development of Andalucia, Spain has become a new member of WAIPA. The Association covers 153 countries worldwide with 218 agencies.

http://www.waipa.org

WAIPA Workshop on "Retention and Aftercare programmes”, 11-12 June 2007, Amman , Jordan

The objective of the course is to help investment promotion professionals to understand the importance of Retention and Aftercare Programmes. The workshop will make participants aware of the factors to be considered in order to respond to the needs and requirements of investors. Among others, the workshop contains training topics such as “How do these services bring value to the investor?” and “How to shift from follow up activities to corporate development services and become a full care agency”.

The workshop conducted by Ernst & Young International Location Advisory Service will be very interactive and dedicated to the region. Business games, case studies based on real companies E&Y assisted in finding the right location solution, development of your own program, learning by doing exercise will be developed. The workshop curriculum addresses mainly IPAs managers and senior officials.

For more information, please contact Mrs. Beatrice Abel, at: isa-beatrice.abel@waipa.org or at the following telephone number: +41 22 797 26 63

Swiss Invest Forum 2007, 19-20 June 2007, Zurich , Switzerland

The Swiss Invest Forum, an initiative of the Swiss Organisation for Facilitating Investments (SOFI), will take place on June 19 and 20, 2007 at the Kongresshaus in Zurich , Switzerland . Its objective is to facilitate Swiss enterprises engaged in direct investment and related business partnerships in international markets, with emphasis on economies under development and in transition. The Forum provides a platform for enterprises to identify new opportunities for business partnerships and investments, to understand recent investment-related developments in target regions, to exchange experience and knowledge, to learn about financing sources and supporting services, to develop networks and co-operations and to meet specialists and get one-to-one advice on specific issues at an experts marketplace.

The Swiss Invest Forum 2007 will focus on the topic of "Adding Local Value to Natural Resources through International Investment". Its specific regional emphasis will be on Africa and the Middle East . The Plenum and workshops presentations will address topics related to investments in agricultural, mineral and forest resources and also in tourist destinations in these regions.

The Forum 2007 will offer an excellent opportunity to showcase comparative advantages of target regions, and present to a broad audience of private sector enterprises specific investment projects in various business sectors and countries. Forum 2007 includes an Experts Marketplace where the participants can consult specialists in different fields and get insight of specific investment proposals. The stands at the Marketplace will be staffed by representatives of investment promotion agencies, advisory bodies, law offices, venture capital funds, banks and insurance companies. WAIPA is one of SOFI’s partners of this year's edition.

The programme and more details about the Forum are available on www.swissinvestforum.ch. For additional information please contact Mr. Viktor Grabik or Mr. Ivan Jabbour, Swiss Organisation for Facilitating Investments SOFI, telephone: +41 44 249 30 50.

The 9th edition of the Carthage Investment Forum, 21-22 June 2007, Tunis , Tunisia

The Ministry of Development and International Cooperation and FIPA, the Foreign Investment and Promotion Agency of Tunisia, organize the 9 th edition of the Carthage Investment Forum on 21-22 June 2007, in Tunis , Tunisia .

The aim of this Forum is to inform foreign companies on the economic environment of Tunisia and the performances of foreign direct investment in this country. The Forum is aimed at foreign corporations seeking globalization and having overseas investment strategies, and at Tunisian companies seeking foreign partners or business opportunities with foreign counterparts. The Forum concerns business offering comparative advantages and expanding sectors such as textile and clothing industries, automotive components, biotechnology, food processing, environment technologies, new information technologies and health services.

For further information and registration, please see: www.investintunisia.tn

WAIPA Regional Workshop on "Customer Services and Investor Aftercare”, 22-23 June 2007, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

FDI by existing investors is often neglected as an important source of FDI. The overall objective of this workshop is to further develop and enhance aftercare strategies and CRM practices for IPAs. Participants will be provided with conceptual frameworks as well as some illustrations of investment promotion strategies and case studies that can be used to inform the design and management of their own investment promotion and aftercare strategies. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to further develop investment promotion strategies for attracting FDI and tap into the market of existing investors. The workshop requires active participation as well as preparation. The workshop curriculum addresses mainly IPAs managers and senior officials.

Please find the preliminary programme of the workshop and the registration form with relevant logistic information on www.waipa.org or contact Mrs. Beatrice Abel, tel.: +41 22 797 26 63, email: isa-beatrice.abel@waipa.org

Designing Effective Strategies for Investment Promotion and Reforms Communication, 25-26 June 2007, Manama , Bahrain

This meeting, organized by the MENA-OECD Investment Programme and hosted by the MENA Investment Centre in Bahrain , will take place on 25-26 June, in Manama , Bahrain .

Working Group 2 (WG2) of the MENA-OECD Investment Programme contributes to building a positive image of the MENA region, through multi-stakeholder dialogue and sharing of good practices between the MENA and OECD countries’ governments, investment promotion agencies, private sector, civil society and other partners. WG2 seeks to identify best practice in investment promotion capacity using MENA and OECD countries’ know how to help identify solutions and provide practical policy advice.

The purpose of this meeting of the Working Group is to discuss recommendations regarding the agreed output areas of WG2 that will be presented to the second MENA Investment Ministerial Meeting, 27-28 November 2007. Key functions and progress areas for Investment promotion agencies and business associations in MENA countries will be discussed, such as: how to organize an effective policy advocacy function within the organization, the creation of efficient One-Stop-Shops, benchmarking tools for investment climate performance and the overall communication of investment climate reforms to affected constituencies (second day). The Working Group will also be invited to discuss the preparation of the Business Day that will precede the Ministerial meeting.

The meeting will be followed by a workshop on Communication Strategies for Investment Climate of Reforms, with the objective of drawing lessons from the best reformers on how to best package and communicate reforms to achieve growth and employment. This workshop will be held in the MENA Investment Center on 26 June; and participants of the WG2 meeting are equally invited to attend.

For further information, please see www.oecd.org/mena/investment, or contact Arouna Roshanian at arouna.roshanian@oecd.org

European Union Targets Tourism Investments and Development in Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean

PRO€INVEST – PROFIT 2007 PROJECT LAUNCHED: A Regional Tourism Conference and Business Meeting, 27-29 June 2007, Kampala , Uganda

In recognition of the importance of the tourism sector in creating employment and alleviating poverty in Africa, the European Commission, through one of its private sector development instruments, namely Pro€Invest, will be organizing a Regional Tourism Investment Conference/Business meeting in Kampala, on 27-29 June 2007.

Pro€Invest, a European Union – ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) Partnership Programme for the promotion of investment and technology flows to ACP enterprises, has entrusted a consortium of consulting firms to carry out a new project named Profit 2007 (Regional Investment Conferences in Tourism sector) which focuses its efforts on East Africa & Indian Ocean (EAIO) and seven specific sub-sectors: Hotel, resort and restaurant (development, extension and renovation); Leisure, health, sports, entertainment (attractions, activities and facilities); Education, training, management in tourism and related activities; Services and supplies for the tourism sector; Tourism facilities and utilities (installation and maintenance); Infrastructure, construction, transport (development, extension, renovation, in relation to tourism); Information and communication technology.

The Profit 2007 project’s main objective is to support the viable EAIO entrepreneurs in implementing viable investment inter-enterprise cooperation agreements with Firms from the EU, EAIO / CWA (and third countries) and business performance improvement plans.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Renaud Guillonnet, Pro€Invest Coordinator, at: rgu@proinvest-eu.org or see http://www.profit-proinvest-eu.org

The WAIPA Study Tour Programme 2007 in Japan, 11-20 September 2007

• WAIPA’s popular study tour programme aims at enabling young professional staff of WAIPA member agencies to visit and learn from experienced IPAs worldwide. The study tours are scheduled for a period of up to two weeks and cover the whole range of IPA activities through hands-on experience and on-the-job training.
• Study tours are geared towards young professionals from WAIPA member agencies; the programme is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in investment promotion and investor targeting from successful IPAs. The training is free of charge for WAIPA members, the travel and accommodation costs for agencies from Small Pacific Islands and LDCs from Asia are borne by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
• Applicants must hold a university degree in Business, Economics, Law or a related field, and have a minimum of two years of work experience in investment promotion. Candidates must be fluent in English. After completing the study tour, the trainees are requested to submit a written evaluation report to the WAIPA Secretariat. Upon successful conclusion of their training, the participants receive a certificate of completion.

In 2007, investment promotion professionals from IPAs will be trained by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in the period from 11 to 20 September 2007 .

For more information, please contact Mrs. Beatrice Abel, at: isa-beatrice.abel@waipa.org or at the following telephone number: +41 22 797 26 63, or see: www.waipa.org

Due to the high demand for placements, the WAIPA Secretariat encourages other member agencies to join this important initiative.

The 12th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair, 18-21 October 2007, Macao of the People’s Republic of China

The 12 th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) organized by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and co-organized by eleven local, Hong-Kong and Mainland China commercial and trade promotion institutes will be held from 18 to 21 October 2007 at the Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre. Last year, 47 countries and regions with over 148 delegations participating in more than 500 business matching sessions congregated in Macao . The main theme of this year’s MIF is Showcasing Macao ’s New Dynamics, Advancing Opportunities of the Trade and Economic Co-operation Platform . Following Macao’s return to Mainland China, strong regional and global co-operation has been developed, in line with the launching of high ranking and large scale economic events, Macao is constantly strengthening its connections with trade promotion institutes on Mainland China, Portuguese speaking countries, the European Union, Asia and other countries around the world. In this year’s MIF, an International Trade and Investment Promotion pavilion will be established specially designed for renowned international Associations.

For more details, please contact Mr. Sam Lei, Senior Management of Promotional Activities Department of IPIM, at: samlei@ipim.gov.mo or at the following telephone number: +853-7989105 or fax: +853-28590309

New Online Tool : The FDI Atlas

fDi Magazine has recently launched a new online tool designed to assist companies planning a cross border expansion/relocation - the fDi Atlas.
The Atlas has been developed over the past 9 months and will be updated regularly, with new additions over the coming months.  Having surveyed a number of SMEs in both the UK and Europe as well as some of our readership, it is apparent there is a need for this type of information to be readily available online and in one easily searchable place.  The fDi Atlas provides IPAs with a cost effective way to communicate the investment opportunities in their countries to investors around the world.  The fDi Atlas will be regularly promoted in the Financial Times Newspaper and fDi Magazine to ensure as many decision-makers are aware of this as possible.

Please take the time to visit the Atlas at http://www.fdiatlas.com. Now is a great opportunity to join the 45 other regions (countries, cities and special economic zones) who are already featured on this unique tool. 

For more information, please contact Oliver Wheatley - E: oliver.wheatley@ft.com Tel: +44 207 775 6324.