Smartcity Malta supports Middle East Business Council

The fast-track activity going on at SmartCity Malta will coincide with the launch of the Middle East Business Council within the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. The launch event, which will be held today at SmartCity Malta, found a natural location at the multimillion Middle Eastern project being developed between the Government of Malta and SmartCity®.

The Middle East Business Council is an independent committee within the structures of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry with the purpose of promoting and enhancing business linkages between Malta and the GCC countries in particular and all over the Middle East. Among others, the Council aims to create a well-known and credible entity, to be a representative body for Malta vis-à-vis stakeholders in the region including Malta itself. It will also help to organise and participate in missions to the region, facilitating Maltese businesses reaching out to the region and be a natural nexus in Malta for businesses targeting the region. These objectives, together with others, will be expounded on during the launch of the Council.

Speaking about the event, a spokesman of the Council said that “when it came to deciding the venue of the event, SmartCity Malta was an obvious choice, a state-of-the-art venue totally linked to the mission of the Council which is ‘Networking in the Middle East’”.

Commenting on the Council’s launch, SmartCity Malta’s CEO, Mr Tabone said: “We are very pleased to be hosting the launch of the Middle East Business Council at our premises and to be welcoming Dr Albanna to the event as the keynote speaker. The Council’s objectives are in line with SmartCity Malta’s aims to attract foreign direct investment and facilitate business linkages between Malta and other countries.”

“Like the Council, SmartCity Malta aims to raise awareness in the region about Malta, especially as a gateway to North Africa and the EU, in order for it to become the natural focal point for incoming businessmen and institutions visiting from the region,” Mr Tabone continued.

The programme for the launch of the Middle East Business Council commences with a welcome address by the president of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, David G. Curmi followed by the CEO of SmartCity Malta, Anthony Tabone and the chairman of the ME Business Council, Tonio Casapinta.

The keynote address will be delivered by Dr Ahmed Albanna, CEO of Dubarch Architectural Engineering Interior Design Consultancy followed by a presentation by Malta Enterprise’s manager for Institutional Affairs, Clive Brockdorff.

The Minister for the Economy and Small Businesses, Dr Chris Cardona will make his concluding remarks at the end of the programme and close off the event.

Dr Albanna is an enterprising and highly networked entrepreneur who rose to a high ranked position of a Deputy Director General at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the beginning of his career. This role gave him the diligence and the position to influence the influx of business opportunities into Dubai. During the course of his tenure, through his gained experiences and a dynamic persona, he held positions of renowned regional and international institutions, such as the Dubai Quality Group, the Arab Union for International Exhibition and Conferences (AUIEC) and the American Arbitration Association. He was also actively involved as a member of the Dubai Judicial Rent Committee.

Dr Albanna’s work experience led him to venture into the Engineering/Construction and Interior Design Industry in a big way and today he heads Dubarch, a multidisciplinary engineering and interior design firm with a global presence.