SmartCity wins 'Best Investment in Europe' award at World Investment Conference in France

The award was presented on the sidelines of the World Investment Conference held at La Baule in France.

An annual event, the leading European forum for high-level debate brought together more than 1,000 global business leaders, top European officials, academics and experts from around the world.

Jawad Suleiman, Executive Director of Project Development and Planning, SmartCity, received the award on behalf of the CEO of SmartCity Fareed Abdulrahman and Malta Enterprise Chairman Alan Camilleri.

Abdullatif AlMulla, Group CEO of Tecom Investments, the parent company of SmartCity Malta, said:

"The SmartCity project is one of Tecom Investments' highly strategic international ventures, and we are confident that this project will offer distinctive value to Malta's economy. As an organization with international expansion plans, we view Malta as the ideal environment to re-create Tecom's hallmark self-sustaining knowledge-based business parks. The ideal government support, the strategic geographical location of Malta, legislation and incentives offered by the Maltese government, as well as an educated population and developed infrastructure makes Malta an attractive place to invest."

Acknowledging the award, Fareed Abdulrahman said, "It is an honour to be recognised for this large scale investment by the organisers of one of the most prestigious investment conferences in Europe. We have chosen Malta for this investment for its host of attractive features that make it an ideal destination for SmartCity."

"Situated in the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta has access to the large continental European market and the rapidly growing North African rim. We believe Malta's significant accomplishments in the promotion of ICT, complemented by its sound knowledge-economy vision will certainly guarantee the success of SmartCity Malta," he added.

SmartCity's investment in SmartCity Malta involves the shaping of an ambitious self-sustained business township, primarily for the knowledge-based industry, in partnership with the Government of Malta.

SmartCity Malta is set to become the leading ICT and media destination in the Mediterranean and the first European outpost of the global SmartCity network. The development comprising office space, residential and lifestyle elements is poised to generate 5,600 jobs in the ICT and media sector.