Iraq: global development program provides opportunity for business

The Iraq Development Program is a project that looks to continue the good work already achieved in Iraq by facilitating the transfer of technology that is necessary to rebuild the country's key infrastructure, including the restoration of its power supply, maximising oil and gas supply, rebuilding roads, airports and schools, overhauling the water system, improving opportunities for education and reforming the healthcare sector.

The program will hold its inaugural summit in Amman, Jordan on 28-30 June 2005. The summit will provide the opportunity for global businessmen and businesswomen to meet with key representatives from the Iraqi private sector, ministerial officials and state owned enterprises. These individuals will play an essential role in Iraq's development and efforts to bring the country into the 21st Century. The summit will host over 200 Iraqi companies; these companies will be sponsored in order to ensure their attendance.

The momentum of development in Iraq is growing fast. There are currently 1,500 construction projects underway throughout the country, compared to just 200 in June 2004. "It's an enormous achievement and it's the work of many, many people throughout the country," says Army Brigadier General Thomas Bostick, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division.

What is essential to success in Iraq is a community of individuals and organisations working together with a common goal. Connecting buyers to suppliers through networking events, private meetings, online forums, web and email-based marketing and regular business news alerts, the Iraq Development Program serves as a comprehensive solution for this community.