Business & Money | Sunday 4 January, 2015 12:23 am |

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the activities of the eighth Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF) are set to kick off on January 25.  Three thousand Saudi and foreign business-specialists are expected to participate as well as a number of ministers, government officials, and prominent figures.  This years’ speakers include: Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google and former member of the board of Directors of Apple Inc.; Nika Gilauri, Prime Minister of Georgia, the former head of the state-owned equity fund and a senior adviser to the decision-makers in the public sector; and Ali Faramawy, Microsoft chairman of the Middle East and Africa.
Competitive Government is the main theme of the GCF this year, which will be held over three days at the Four Seasons Hotel, Kingdom Tower in Riyadh. The theme highlights the pivotal role the public sector plays in strengthening the national economic competitiveness of many countries. The GCF also aims to discuss ways to advance the performance and competitiveness of Saudi government institutions, and how to keep abreast of international developments.

The GCF in its 8th session seeks to build effective and successful partnerships for the localization of specific investments.  In its second year, The “Invest Saudi” exhibition will highlight key sectors for investment, such as the transfer of technology, development of exports, and investment in human capital, including training and jobs for Saudis.
The exhibition will be attended by many government and private entities; allowing representatives of global investment firms attending the Forum to explore investment opportunities in the Kingdom across various sectors,  meet

with their counterparts from local businesses, and view both local and foreign investors thriving and continuously growing in Saudi.
As part of the Forum preparations, more than 60 speakers have been invited, including a group of Saudi experts and specialists, to cover topics that will include: theories of competitive governance, women in the industrial sector,  youth empowerment, tips for the small and medium enterprise sector, and cooperation between the public and private sectors.
The GCF is an annual event attended by a group of elite international business owners and leaders and intellectuals to discuss issues relevant to the competitiveness of economies.  The GCF aims to raise the level of awareness and attention to the local and global competitive challenges, and discuss issues related to competitiveness, such as: business environment, international trade, sustainable development, the environment, human resource development, innovation and globalization, as
well as macroeconomic and microeconomic which are directly close topics to competitiveness.