Cairo, Egypt, 15 September 2015 – The Honourable Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation today paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, Minister of Trade, Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises of the Arab Republic of Egypt, in the country’s capital of Cairo, to formally extend an invitation to the upcoming 11th WIEF themed ‘Building Resilience for Equitable Growth’ which will be held on the 3-5 November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Forum is expected to be attended by more than 2,500 delegates will convene world leaders, government representatives, captains of industry, economists, entrepreneurs and representatives from the academia, NGOs and the media from around the world.
Invited Leaders who will be attending the global forum include:
The Hon. Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia and Patron of WIEF Foundation
E. Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of Maldives
E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana
E. Dragan Čović, Chairman of the Presidency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
E. Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Madani, President of the Islamic Development Bank
M. Sultan Dr. Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, State of Perak, Malaysia
E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, Former Prime Minister of Qatar
E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Former President of Indonesia
“More nations such as Egypt are putting in place numerous initiatives to encourage trade amongst international partners, and the 11th World Islamic Economic Forum provides an ideal platform to further these efforts. In doing so, we are not only promoting greater global integration but also equitable growth. This is especially crucial in the face of volatility in today’s marketplace. Let us come together and play our part to support and uplift the quality of life of our fellow citizens around the world,” said Tun Musa Hitam.
“It is an exciting time for businesses to explore opportunities in Egypt as a major hub in the Middle East, connecting Europe and South Asia. This is especially so with the successful inauguration of the New Suez Canal in August this year combined with the numerous economic reforms introduced which have been successful in attracting more foreign direct investments into the country. Industries such as the retail sector, tourism and petrochemicals are just some of the areas in Egypt ripe for investment and partnerships as the WIEF Foundation seeks to encourage greater global integration between Muslim and non-Muslim economies around the world,” added Tun Musa Hitam.
Egypt’s economy grew by 4.7 per cent in the first nine months of the 2014-2015 fiscal year compared to the same period in the preceding year, according to the Ministry of Planning. In addition, the Ministry of Investment indicated that the country will attract an estimated US$8 – US$10 billion worth of foreign investments by the end of the current fiscal year which ends in June 2016.
The 11th WIEF aims to further its mission of facilitating economic development and collaboration between Muslim and non-Muslim economies. The forum returns to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, just as the region prepares for the regional integration opportunities that the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) promises.
Topic clusters which will be covered at the 11th WIEF include Islamic finance, halal industries, green technologies, education, sustainable living and development, women and youth development, and the Creative Arts. Some of the international speakers include Janez Potočnik, co-chair of the International Resource Panel (IRP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Dr Anwar Ghani, President of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) & Chairman of Halal Advisory Council, New Zealand and Tan Sri Jemilah Mahmood, Chief, World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat, United State of America, amongst the international speakers and role-players at the forum.
For the first time this year, the Forum programme will be categorised by Sector Clusters to streamline and facilitate dialogues, participation and ideation through panel discussions, Ideapad and Masterclass Sessions focusing on specific sectors.
Another first at this year’s Forum is the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Business Pavilion which will provide a secondary track aimed at mobilising expertise from all around the world to support the SME community’s efforts to capitalise on growth prospects. The SME platform will also offer valuable industry insights and technical assistance to make the most out of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) coming into effect at the end of the year.
As in previous years, the Marketplace of Creative Arts (MOCAFest) held in conjunction with the 11th WIEF will also run concurrently. MOCAFest, the Foundation’s arts and cultural festival, consists of dialogue and networking sessions, masterclasses, leadership workshops, art residences, film screenings, visual art exhibitions and artistic collaborations. Some of the artistes at the upcoming MOCAFest include Tunisian-French artist eL Seed, Mauritian singer and musician Noura Mind Seymali, and British digital artist Hatiq Mohamed, better known as Teakster.
Find out more about the 11th WIEF here: http://wief.org/forum/11/