Government's role in creating a thriving and sustainable economic environment will be under the microscope at the Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF), which is being staged at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, January 25-27.
This will be the eighth staging of the most important economic event in the region. This year's agenda will center around the theme 'Competitive Governments'.
The event will be opened at a special ceremony on the evening of January 25, before a full program of presentations and workshops with the participation of leading academics, businesspeople and political leaders from Saudi Arabia and around the world.
Following the opening address by HE Abdullatif Al-Othman, Governor and Chairman of SAGIA, former UK government minister, Lord Peter Mandelson will chair the first panel discussion, with former PM of Georgia, Nika Gilauri , HE Dr. Tawfiq Al Rabeeah, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Trade and Commerce, and HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al Barrak, the Minister of the Civil Service, to discuss 'Competitive Governments and Saudi Arabia: A Gateway to the World'.
The importance of the technology sector in the diversification of the Saudi economy will also be stressed, with contributions from leading global experts including Google chief Eric Schmidt, and agenda items such as 'Encouraging technology innovation and development in Saudi Arabia'.
Other important discussions will examine how the Saudi economy can benefit from enabling more women to take a more active economic role, and the role of education in empowering young people, and preparing them to become the leaders of tomorrow.
"With key inputs from Saudi and international thought leaders from the private and public sectors, GCF 2015 will address regional and global trends in governmental best-practice, citing success stories from within Saudi Arabia and the global community.
"The speakers and panellists comprise some of the best business, political and academic minds, working in their fields. It is the participation of these experts that makes the GCF such an important event in the business calendar," said HE Abdullatif Al-Othman.
Founded in 2006 by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), the GCF has grown into one of the largest and most important annual gatherings of academics, business leaders, politicians and journalists in the region.
