The OECD IPA Network session ”Promoting and facilitating investment in a digital world” gathered over 150 investment promotion practitioners worldwide!
The Chair of the OECD Investment Promotion Agency Network and Managing Director, Germany Trade and Invest, Achim Hartig, hosted the plenary meeting of the Network’s sixth annual workshop to discuss Promoting and Facilitating Investment in a Digital World.
Participants included senior IPA representatives from OECD and partner countries, policymakers, private sector representatives as well as experts and representatives from civil society and international organizations. More about international organizations HERE.
The sixth annual meeting of the OECD IPA Network was held virtually around the theme of Investment Promotion and Digital Transformation for a Sustainable Recovery: Promoting and Facilitating investment in a Digital World. It allowed participants to hold an evidence-based and forward-looking discussion among peers and experts. It addressed current challenges and opportunities for investment policymakers and investment promotion
practitioners related to digital transformation and sustainable development.
- Antti Aumo, Head of Invest in Finland, Business Finland. During his presentation, Mr. Aumo mentioned the difference between the promotion of digital investment and the digital Investment Promotion. Talking about the digital investment promotion, he emphasized the need to not only digitalize investment promotion processes, but also to integrate them in the entire investment promotion agency. ”Re-imagining investment promotion processes with digital tools is what we are witnessing today in IPAs.” Also, he confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of Invest in Finland operations.
- Eyal Eliezer, Head of Strategy and Marketing, Invest in Israel: Mr. Eliezer said that the main focus in Isreal today is to create ecosystems where traditional companies meet with innovators – ”going from start-up to scale-up” since Israel has already been recognized as a start-up nation and technology leader in the world.
- Deepak Bagla, CEO and Managing Director of Invest India, underscored that for India, digitalization is a mission and an imperative. Invest India has digitalized the entire investor’s journey. In India, digitalization is perceived as an enabler for building up of businesses.
Panelists also included Amb. Luiz Cesar Gasser, Director, Services and Industry Promotion Department, Ministry of Foreign Relations of Brazil and Aba Schubert, CEO, Dorae.
Following the discussion, Mr. Hartig concluded that digitalization is not optional either as a company strategy or governmental policy and that IPAs must meet the demands of both companies and governments.
