Executive Round Table on Navigating a New Investment Era: The Role of Investment Promotion Agencies and Special Economic Zones

Event
Session Type
Conference
Session Themes
Investment Promotion and Special Economic Zones
Interpretation
English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Chinese
Room number
Lusail Tent
Contact Email
27 October 2026
10:15 - 13:00 Doha, Qatar
Asia/Qatar

Global investment is being reshaped by geopolitical tensions, supply-chain restructuring, technological change and the green transition. For investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and special economic zones (SEZs), competing for investment increasingly requires more than costs, incentives and market access. Investors are looking for resilient supply chains, skilled talent, reliable infrastructure, regulatory predictability, innovation ecosystems and strong local capabilities. This executive roundtable will examine how IPAs and SEZs can adapt to this new investment era, identify opportunities in emerging sectors such as AI, digital infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing, and build stronger investment ecosystems. The session will also explore how investment promotion frameworks and networks can become more proactive, targeted, and resilient in response to changing geopolitical, technological, and sustainability imperatives.

Speaker(s)

CEO, Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (Invest Qatar)
CEO, Qatar Free Zone Authority (QFZ)
Chief Executive Officer, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK) Co-Chair of GASEZ, representing IASP
Director General, Algerian Investment Promotion Agency
Head, World Investment Forum; Chair, UN Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative
CEO of Invest Barbados and CAIPA President
CEO, Ghana Investment Promotion Authority
Deputy Technical Director, Export and Investment Center of Dominican Republic (ProDominicana)
Chair, Executive Board of World Investment Conference; UNCTAD ex-Director
Head of Investment Promotion & Facilitation, OECD
Head, Sustainable Investments and Responsible Business, UNIDO
Deputy Executive Director, World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies
President, World Association for Public-Private Partnerships, Strategy Advisor, HyperCycle AI
Director of Strategic Policy & Planning National Investment Board (NIB), Sierra Leone
Consultant, International Labour Organization
Chief Executive Officer, Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency
General Delegate of ANIMA Investment Network
Managing Director, Investment and Promotion Agency and Major Projects, Republic of Senegal
Executive Director and CEO of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies
Director General, Doha office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)
Legal and Policy Lead, Ethiopian Investment Commission
CEO, Republic of Sychelles Investment Board (SIB)
Managing Director, Germany Trade and Invest and Chair, OECD Network of Investment Promotion Agencies
Under Secretary of State; Head of International Relations Department, Promotion Sector, General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI)
Officer in Charge, Investment Promotion Section, UN Trade and Development
President, Qatar Science and Technology Park
Executive Director, World Association for Public-Private Partnerships
Deputy Executive Director, Caribbean Export Development Agency
Director of Foreign Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Economic Development, Curaçao
Senior Investment Expert, AfCFTA