Badr Al-Salman

KUWAIT: The 'First Kuwait PPP Conference' (PPPKW) will convene under the motto of 'Partnership towards Growth and Prosperity' for the first time in the State of Kuwait, President of KFEOCH Badr Al-Salman announced yesterday. KFEOCH calls for PPPKW in cooperation with and organization by NoufEXPO. The event will take place virtually on 15 and 16 November. His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, will patronize PPPKW. Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, will represent His Highness the Prime Minister during the opening ceremony. NoufEXPO will provide the necessary organizational and logistics services for PPPKW.

Remarkable presence

The conference will witness the remarkable presence of many leaders of public-private partnership institutions. Notably, leaders from the United Nations and Gulf, Arab, and foreign countries will be present. In addition, many industry experts and Kuwaiti government agencies will contribute to PPPKW.

Commenting on the support of KFEOCH, Salman said, "the support of the Federation of Kuwait Engineering Offices and Consultant Houses of Kuwait's first public-private partnership conference reflects our belief in the need for public and private sector cooperation in implementing Kuwait's development and projects. The resort of various countries to this cooperation equation aims to make the most of each sector's possibilities enjoyed and provided. The vitality, transparency, and experience of the private sector complement and integrate with the governance, keenness, and experience of the public sector to help Kuwait achieve its development goals."

Salman commented on the value of partnerships and said, "Kuwait has been aware of the importance of public-private partnership for a long time. Kuwait developed its related legislations that kept it in pace with global trends in this area. The most recent is Law No 116 of 2014 and the related executive regulation issued by Decree No 78 of 2015. Through this Law, the regulator aimed to establish an integrated system for the tendering and execution of strategic partnership projects. Kuwait laws noted its plans to diversify the economy and direct it towards involving the private sector in development projects and create an investment climate that allows the attraction of private capital, modern technology, and knowledge."

PPPKW Objectives

Salman explained that PPPKW aims to assess the experience of Kuwait and neighboring countries in the field of public-private partnerships to identify the obstacles facing partnership projects and benefit from the successful experiences in these countries. It also aims at presenting the technical and legislative aspects of partnership contracts and the requirements of their success. And finally, PPPKW will come up with appropriate recommendations to push Kuwait's partnership program forward.

The press release confirmed that the conference coincides with Kuwait's 2035 Vision that aims to "transform Kuwait into a financial and trade hub, attractive to investors, where the private sector leads the economy, creating competition and promoting production efficiency, under the umbrella of enabling government institutions, which accentuates values, safeguards social identify, and achieves human resource development as well as balanced development, providing adequate infrastructure, advanced legislation, and inspiring business environment." Doing so supports Kuwait's tendency to actively engage with the private sector and provide the right environment, mainly since development plan 2035 includes many mega-infrastructure projects.

Speaking about PPPKW themes, Salman said that the conference will discuss partnership contracts' legislative and institutional framework and their financial and financing aspects. In addition, PPPKW will discuss the best practices and successful experiences in partnerships, the impact of Public-Private risk distribution on contractual issues, and finally, the practical applications and international experiences of public sector engagement with the private sector.

Advanced platform

NoufEXPO, in turn, announced that it has collaborated with Vmeets to run PPPKW virtually through cyberspace. Vmeets platform provides a one-stop-shop for virtual events, including a 3D interactive auditorium for presentation, panel discussions, workshops, an exhibition hall to host exhibition pavilions for participants, and advanced technologies to manage the course of the forum electronically, including registrations and confirmations.

The electronic platform also provides sponsoring companies with advanced capabilities to display their projects, services, and technical capabilities through their display pavilions. They can speak directly with the audience and collect their contact details. They can also show videos, reports, and brochures of their companies. Sponsoring companies and attendees will have access to a full recording of PPPKW after it is over.

In conclusion, the press release urged all interested companies and institutions to present their specialized capabilities, expertise, and services to contact NoufEXPO on +965 22469924 or send their email messages to [email protected] to reserve their spot in this unique and new event. More about PPPKW on its website www.noufexpo.com.kw/pppkw.