Bahrain celebrates inauguration of MENA Centre for Investment

The Centre supports the joint MENA-OECD Investment Programme with the involvement of 18 countries from the MENA region, placing Bahrain in a pivotal regional role to assist with co-ordinating the investment policy research activities of the OECD in the region.

The Centre for Investment was officially inaugurated at a special dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Spa, hosted by Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al-Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board, and attended by Mr Richard Hecklinger, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, Ministers and official representatives from across the MENA region.

"The MENA Investment Centre puts Bahrain at the centre of the regional map for investment and research. It significantly enhances Bahrain's visibility as a stable and open economy" said Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al-Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board.

"As the permanent host for the Centre, Bahrain will be helping to build investment expertise with a view to upgrading the investment environment in the entire MENA region," he added.

Funded by the Economic Development Board, the Centre will consist of a team of up to six specialists headed by an Executive Director.

The Centre will act as a link for MENA investment authorities with the OECD headquarters in Paris. It will establish a network of regional and international research organisations and serve as a regional focal point for the Investment Programme by:

• Providing local logistics and administrative support for the Investment Programme's Bahrain and regional activities;
• Acting as a communications hub in the region;
• Collecting and updating information, data and analysis about MENA countries;
• Maintaining a database and indicators for Investment Programme partners and creating an on-line library;
• Providing a capacity-building venue and facilities for workshops, training and briefing sessions in the MENA region;
• Developing a research capacity on various aspects of MENA economies that can be fed into the Investment Programme;
• Other functions as required by the Investment Programme management and the host country, Bahrain.