Dushanbe, October 14, 2015 – The International Entrepreneurship Forum Dushanbe-2015: “Entrepreneurship and Investment for Sustainable Development” took place today under the auspices and with attendance of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, in dedication to the Entrepreneurship Day.
The Forum aimed to present Tajikistan’ investment opportunities, demonstrate progress towards a better investment climate, and facilitate trade and economic cooperation between national and foreign entrepreneurs and investors. The Entrepreneurship Forum is part of the broader effort to expand opportunities for a long-term cooperation and joint planning across borders.
The Forum gathered the representatives of the Government, ministries and agencies of the Republic of Tajikistan, country’s parliamentarians, senior state representatives from partner countries, as well as business representatives. A broad participation came from private investors and banks, international financial organizations, business associations, diplomatic delegations, academia and professionals. The Forum had attracted over two thousand participants, including over 350 companies and investors from 35 countries.
Among prominent companies attending were China’s C&FC, LLC China Investment Company, Norinco International Cooperation Ltd.; Russian companies GazPromNeft and Metalloinvest; German industry was represented by CESA International GmbH, Big Dutchman International GmbH and SASSO. Many other companies attended like the Spanish poultry company Zucami, mining engineering company Kanikavan from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Crown Agents from the United States and Turkish Binokor among many others.
The forum official opened with the speech by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon. Beside the President, distinguished guests foreign states, international finance organizations and investors spoke at the opening ceremony. The high level speakers included the Director of the International Finance Corporation in Central Asia Mr. Muazam Mekan, Regional Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Central Asia Mr. Masaru Honma, Deputy Head of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation of the Islamic Development Bank Group Mr. Hani Salem Sonbol, The General Director of “Sangtuda-1” Mr. Pavel Lavrov, Regional Director of Coca-Cola for CIS countries Mr. Osman Kazdal, and the Director of LLC Tajik-China Mining Company Mr. Yang Zhi Cai.
Following the opening ceremony, participants visited the international exhibition AgroFood Tajikistan, also organized as part of the events dedicated to the nationalist Entrepreneurship Day.
The Forum’s thematic discussions continued, in separate groups, at the State Institute “National Library of Tajikistan”, where specific business and investment issued were discussed in panels.
The first panel session Attracting Investments: Challenges and Achievements touched themes:
• Tajikistan facing entrepreneurs: state’s openness for cooperation and partnership
• State measures in support of businesses and investors in a time of economic crisis
• Opportunities for regional cooperation and investment
• Opportunities in Free Economic Zones
The panel was guided and moderated by the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan Nematullo Hikmatullozoda, and led to a lively discussion of the issues on the panel. The distinguished panelists included the Chairman of State Committee on Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan Kodiri Kosim, Head of Department of State Management, Finance and Trade of Asian Development Bank Harriet Elizabeth Wilkinson, Acting Head of Istanbul International Center for Development Private Sector Gulchin Salingan, Head of Department of Learning and Innovation, World Bank, Benjamin Harzberg, President of the IKCO Hashem Yekehzare, Ambassador, Vice-President East West Institute Martin Fleischer and Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan Umed Davlatzod.
Panel two was dedicated to manufacturing, energy and agriculture, moderated by the Minister of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan Usmonali Usmonzoda. Issued touched on during the panel ranged broadly and covered:
• Business opportunities around industrial clusters
• Supplying goods and services to international companies: opportunities, requirements,
and successful models
• Reforms in light and food industries and benefiting from the value-chain in agribusiness
• Technical barriers and conditions for export of agricultural goods
• How to meet energy needs of businesses
• Foreign investment into energy generation
• PPPs in transport and energy infrastructure: successful models
Among the panelists were the Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan Shavkat Bobozoda, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan Davlatali Khotamov.
Chemical industry was represented by Daniel Gottschald Managing Director of German chemical cluster Chemie-Cluster Bayern, and Julianna Annenkova, Market Development Manager at BASF Central Asia.
Manufacturers and engineering service providers were represented by Ihsan Haslaman, General Director of Nissan Electronic Instrumentation, Sergej Kirjatschek Head of Regional Business Development of Siemens Russia, Chairman of the Board of Directors, TALCO Sherali Kabirov, and Head of Center for Implementation PPP Projects Ibrohim Usmonzoda.
In parallel, the third panel session discussed finance. Moderated by the Chairman of the National Bank Jamshed Nurmahmadzoda, the Financial Services Market panel explored how to strengthen and broaden the financial services available for entrepreneurs. Panels focus topics were:
• Attracting of private investments to new financial products
• Diversification of finance services
• Development of foreign direct investments market in crisis conditions
• Participation through equity: ways of increasing foreign direct investments and development of investment funds
• Leasing for small and medium businesses
• Private insurance and new financial instruments
The detailed discussions included the presentation by Samir Tagiev, the Islamic Development Bank Regional Director for CIS and Europe, Richard Jones the Head of Residence Office in Tajikistan, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, CEO of Xuejing Investment Fund, Guo Jinn Jong; Privately sector insurance products were presented by the General Director of Russian Bima Sanjar Jabborov. Notable bankers speaking were CEO of Amonatbank Hakimzoda Ruhullo Abdugani, and the CEO of Spitamen Bank Peter Fabian.
At the end of the Forum, a business-to-business (B2B) event invited entrepreneurs, investors and state officials to meet and establish working relations. The B2B offered the Forum participants a chance to evaluate the potential for cooperation, better understand the capacities and expectations of partners, learn of financing programs and investment opportunities in Tajikistan.
As the result of a productive event, the Forum resulted in a number of agreements. Among these are the agreement between the SCISPM and Bavarian chemical industry cluster in Germany to cooperate on the study and establishment of industrial and agriculture clusters in Tajikistan and the promotion of small and medium businesses in these sectors.
SCISPM and China’s NORINCO International Cooperation ltd. have agree on a power substation and a high voltage power line to Dangara, construction of a water pumping and treatment station in Dushanbe, construction of a 2x 350 MW thermal power plant in Rasht, as well as on coal gasification and railway projects.
Also, SCISPM signed a Memorandum with the Investment Fund Hui-Jin of the People's Republic of China on the establishment of a joint insurance investment enterprise in Tajikistan and with the Zhong Min Tou Corporation on the establishment of a joint leasing enterprise.
Memorandums also has been signed by State Committee on Investments and State Property Management and the Tajik-China Mining Enterprise on a industrial explosives plant as well as Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture of Tuscany, Italy on the establishment of the Italian - Tajik Chamber of Trade.
SCISPM jointly with Ministry of Industry and New Technologies also agreed with the Iranian Iran Khodro Industrial Group and the Iranian Tajikistan Economic and Investment Group on the sale, after-sale services and manufacturing of passenger and cargo vehicles in Tajikistan.
State Unitary Enterprise Jambas agreed with German CESA Investment to open a stone processing enterprise, Main Department of Geology under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan entered into a cooperation agreement with Russian RosGeoPerspektiva group of companies on the geological research and technical assistance. Faroz LLC and Ginex of Great Britain agreed on the establishment of the International Stock Exchange. Tajik - Russia Center with Kuʙanskiy Modulniy Dom to set up a construction of modular houses in Tajikistan. Finally, Panjrud LLC agreed with Tajik-Chinese Mining Enterprise on cooperation in the field of industrial processing of marble stones of the Panjrud mine.
As the result of bilateral agreements and cooperation between businesses, only during the last year around 400 industrial enterprises have been created and more than seven thousand local specialists were provided with permanent job. This shows the improving investment climate in the country and the wise policy of President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali in this direction.
The Forum concluded with the panel moderators’ sharing of conclusions from the panel discussions. SCISPM Chairman, Kodiri Kosim, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Nematullo Hikmatullozoda, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources Usmonali Usmonzoda, and the Chairman of the National Bank of Tajikistan Jamshed Nurmahmadzoda made the concluding remarks.
At the completion of the Forum participants adopted the Resolution of the International Entrepreneurship Forum Dushanbe-2015.
The Forum was in fact a culmination of several events dedicated to the private sector development that were organized by the State Committee on Investment and State Property Management (SCISPM). Earlier, on 8 October SCISPM organized a round table Development of Women Entrepreneurship, on 12 October an international youth focused forum Development of Entrepreneurship Among Young People took place in Borbad.
The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan, in turn, held the international economic conference the Potential of Free Economic Zones for Region’s Development from 9 to 10 October.
A Regional Conference Tourism Opportunities of the Country was organized by the Committee on Youth, Sports and Tourism under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on 10 October, a round table was held on “The contribution of the Private Sector in the Development of the Health Sector” at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Tajikistan on 7 October. On 8 October, the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Social Protection of Tajikistan also convened a round table on “The Contribution of the Private Sector in Job Creation”.
