Tirana Times
TIRANA, Oct 25 – Albanian government officials have called on British investors to seriously consider Albania for investments in key sectors such as energy, infrastructure and tourism. The appeal came last week in London in the second UK – Albania Investment Forum which brought together 100 foreign companies interested in expanding their investments in Albania, ministers representing Albania in the forum said.
Addressing the Forum, Zef Mazi, Albania’s Ambassador to the UK said “As we are trying our best to introduce opportunities that do exist and are being offered and attract inward investment to Albania, I am particularly delighted to see an ever increasing interest in Albania’s reality today. It is becoming more and more visible in the
Western media that Albania offers a very interesting and attractive destination for investment and tourism.”
“Conditions are right and ripe to seriously consider moving in with investment” added the ambassador as quoted by London-based multi-service development consultancy, Developing Markets Associates Limited (DMA).
Meanwhile, Atam Sandhu, the Chief Executive of Developing Markets Associates described the second Investment Forum as an excellent platform for the panelists to speak to the FDI community about the growing business opportunities that exist in the country and, furthermore, I hope it gives those based in the UK a bridge to forge sound and productive relationships with both government and industry in Albania going forward.”
Albanian Culture and Tourism Minister Ferdinand Xhaferraj said after making an introduction on Albania 20 years after the collapse of the communist regime that the country offers great opportunities in tourism investment.
Pointing out Albania’s favourable geographical position, climate, water resources, and antiquity, he invited British investors to invest in luxurious hotels, tourist villages, golf courses, water tourism and winter sports.
According to Xhaferraj, government has invested more than 2 billion euros in infrastructure, mainly roads, during the 2006-2009 period to improve the country’s tourist image.
Albania’s delegation in the 2nd UK-Albania Investment Forum was headed by Economy Minister Ilir Meta. A group of businessmen representing 50 companies operating in Albanian also participated in the forum.
A 2010 Investing in Albania report published by Developing Markets Associates Limited (DMA) describes Albania as “Strategically located in the Western Balkans, Albania’s natural resources include significant hydropower capacity, large tracts of fertile agricultural land, over 360- km of Mediterranean coastline with excellent tourism and transport potential and valuable mineral deposits (including copper, iron and chrome ores). The country’s liberal (FDI) regime grants foreign and domestic investors equal rights of ownership of local companies, following the principle of ‘national treatment’. The total amount of FDI over 2005-09 was reported at US$3,202mn -vastly higher than US$987mn in 2000-04.”
