Mohammad Al-Mael

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced its sponsorship of the 1st Kuwait PPP Conference (PPPKW), which is being held under the umbrella theme of "Partnership journey towards growth and prosperity". Set to take place virtually on November 15 and 16, the conference is being organized by Nouf Expo and is being held under the patronage of the Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The bank's sponsorship of the event comes in line with its efforts to play an active role in strengthening the partnership between the public and private sectors, which continues to be a vital step towards driving economic development and growth in Kuwait.

The conference is a dedicated platform that brings together prominent figures, leaders and decision makers from the private sector on one hand and various government bodies and public sector institutions on the other. It also aims to facilitate networking opportunities and drive open discussions between both sides, to promote greater cooperation and collaboration; enabling both sectors to explore opportunities and build long-term, sustainable, profitable and mutually partnerships.

Speaking about the bank's participation in the event, Mohammad Mansour Al-Mael - Head of Corporate Banking - AGM - Corporate Banking Group at Burgan Bank, said: "This conference comes at just the right point in time, given the current economic climate, as Kuwait begins to return to a pre-COVID sense of normal and efforts rev up on all sides to stimulate economic growth and investment across the board."

Mael further added: "The recent economic turmoil we have all witnessed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has left a major mark on the local, regional and global markets. As economic recovery begins, and the world gradually starts to 'return to normal', we are seeing governments around the globe encourage more comprehensive and integrated economic strategies that allocate a greater role for the private sector - as an active and influential partner for the public sector, driving social and economic development. This greater collaboration between the two sides will inevitably help mitigate economic challenges and drive a bigger investment in economic growth and diversification, which in turn will help create job opportunities for our future generations across all sectors and industries."

Also noted that Burgan Bank continues to operate in accordance with Kuwait's Vision 2035, which aims to help bring about a "New Kuwait"; positioning the country as an attractive financial and commercial hub for investment, with the private sector playing a leading role in driving economic activity. Accordingly, as an established financial institution, Burgan Bank is doing its part in helping promote greater economic diversification on the national scale, in addition to actively contributing to the investment in Kuwait's human capital development by supporting and nurturing young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Magdy Sabry

Magdy Sabry, Executive Manager of Nouf Expo, said: "Through this conference, we seek to provide a realistic view of the experiences of Kuwait and neighboring countries when it comes to public-private partnerships and to learn from the successful experiences we have seen so far. The conference also highlights the role of collaboration in achieving development goals and the complementary benefits for the two sectors, by identifying and evaluating appropriate strategies and mechanisms for planning and implementing partnerships and highlighting how to overcome the problems and challenges they often face."

It is worth mentioning that as part of its participation in the conference, Burgan Bank will be taking part in several panel discussions, as well as the accompanying virtual exhibition. Furthermore, and as part of its efforts to promote greater economic awareness, the bank will also be providing the opportunity for its customers to register for and participate in the event for free.