MENA PPP Virtual Think Tank, a one-day virtual summit hosted by MEED-GlobalData, will bring together industry experts to discuss Public Private Partnership (PPP) frameworks and their growing importance in the region. The live event will give audiences an opportunity to engage with an elite selection of government dignitaries, top management officials and decision makers from the region’s leading infrastructure companies and regulatory authorities.

The PPP Leaders Panel will discuss why PPP presents a new, more sustainable way of securing project finance especially in light of the current climate. As the COVID-19 pandemic places an increasing strain on government budgets, there is a need to focus on alternative finance solutions that ensure social, municipal and transport projects continue to be financed. While PPP projects are gradually taking shape in the region, including schools projects in Saudi Arabia and healthcare in Kuwait, there is a need to discuss the PPP landscape to promote a wider adoption of this method of project financing.

Speakers from leading governmental bodies including Eng. Atter Ezzat Hannoura, Director, PPP Central Unit, Ministry of Finance, Egypt, Mahmoud Al Khoshman, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Jordan & Head of the National PPP Programme will be speaking on the panel. Experts from Abu Dhabi, CMS and National Center for Privatization (NCP), Saudi Arabia will also be present on the panel to discuss why PPP contracts are notably gaining traction in the region.

Ziad Alexandre Hayek, President, World Association of PPP Units & Professionals; Vice-Chair, UNECE Working Party on PPP; Managing Partner, Hayek Associates commented, “I am delighted to be providing the opening address for MEED’s MENA PPP Virtual Think Tank. I look forward to networking with my peers from the industry to discuss innovative and collaborative approaches to financing and delivering PPP projects in our region.”

A social infrastructure breakout session will bring together experts in education, healthcare and housing projects to share best practice on legal frameworks, contracts, commercial viability, investment opportunities and the risk landscape.  Sachin Karia, Partner – Dubai, Allen & Overy, and Dr. Mussaad Al Razouki, Chief Business Development Officer, Kuwait Life Sciences Company are among the notable speakers on this panel.

A separate breakout session will host leaders specialising in rail, airports, roads projects and more to discuss the main complexities facing transport infrastructure PPPs in the region. Trevor Butcher, Partner, DLA Piper, and Eng. Loay Ghazaleh, Portfolio Advisor – Major Infrastructure and PPP, Ministry of Works Bahrain amongst others will talk about the methods to engage greater levels of private sector investment into regional transport projects.

Finally, five panellists including John Franklyn Hurst, Capacity Procurement Director, Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), will explore how PPP and other alternative finance structures can help drive power and water infrastructure projects forward.

Ed James, Director of Content and Analysis, MEED Projects said, “Our virtual summit will highlight the current and planned PPP projects in the region while analysing the opportunities this upcoming sector has to present. Audiences will have an incredible opportunity to network with key government officials and senior management at leading private organisations actively looking to implement PPP contracts around the region.”

The MENA PPP Virtual Think Tank will take place on Tuesday, October 13 from 10:00AM to 3:00PM GST featuring a PPP Leaders Panel providing an in-depth analysis of regional PPP projects and the opportunities they present, followed by three sector specific breakout tracks encompassing social infrastructure, transport infrastructure, and power and  water infrastructure.

The MENA PPP Virtual Think Tank is supported by Construction Partner Al Bawani, Steel Manufacturing Partner Emirates Steel, Strategic Partners Allen & Overy, CMS, DLA Piper, World Association of PPP Units & Professionals (WAPPP), VIP Partners ASGC, Arab Consulting Engineers, Petroject, and VVIP Partners AF Construction LLC, ALEC, Al Salam Palace Museum, Kuwait and Samsung Engineering Co.

The virtual summit is free to attend, but pre-registration is required here.

A comprehensive review of the Middle East’s growing PPP market and the outlook for PPP projects after the impact of Covid-19 is available here.