Iraq Procurement 2004 – Amman
Grand Hyatt Amman
Amman, Jordan
22-24 November 2004

The international business community descended on Amman, Jordan on 22-24 November 2004 for Iraq Procurement – Amman, an event organised to realise the enormous trade and investment potential of Iraq.

Iraq Procurement looks to aid the development of the country by offering opportunities for businesses to meet with senior Iraqi decision makers to form partnership agreements and secure the supply of goods and services.

A major opportunity

An opening ceremony took place on the morning of Monday 22 November, featuring addresses from the Iraqi Minister of Electricity H.E. Dr Aiham Alsammarae and H.E. Farouk Al-Hadidi, Secretary General for the Jordanian Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Dr Alsammarae described the event as a major opportunity to determine the level of procurement needed to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure and main sectors, placing particular emphasis on the energy, health, transport and water sectors, all of which are in need of development.

Al-Hadidi stressed that the Jordanian government had not spared any effort to provide facilities for foreign and Arab countries seeking to enter the Iraqi market, its geographical location and special ties aiding it to build long term strategic relations with the Iraqi government through contract signing and visa exchange.

Promoting the role of Iraqi companies

The opening ceremony was followed by a series of meetings held between Iraqi businesses and corporate delegates, with a number of other meetings available with ‘primes’ such as Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) and Fluor Amec. Meetings were also available with organisations such as the Iraqi Contractor Federation, the Iraqi Stock Exchange and the Iraqi Businesswomen Association, an area of particular concern as efforts continue to provide women with a more active role in the development of the country. A number of businesses were also in attendance from the northern region of Iraqi-Kurdistan.

All of these meetings were highly successful, with much business conducted directly as a result. While many events have focused on aiding Iraq since the ending of the country’s former regime, Iraq Procurement is unique in its focus on the crucial role of Iraqi companies in the country’s renaissance. "Our aim is to promote the role of Iraqi companies, not foreign entities, in the reconstruction work," said Dr Mostafa Al-Bazergan, chairman of the Iraqi-British Business Council, which has offered its full support for the venture.

Meetings were also available on a selective basis with ministerial delegations from both the Iraqi Central Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, providing delegates with key insight into what is required to successfully conduct business operations in the region. "The aim of Iraq Procurement is to enable businesses and traders to benefit from direct relations between Iraq and the world," said Raminder Singh-Barmi, spokesperson for Iraq Procurement.

A platform to showcase

The event also featured an exhibition, offering participating companies a platform to showcase their goods and services. Exhibiting companies included the likes of DynCorp, The Foster Group, Globex International, Pratt & Whitney, Bayer Diagnostics, Microsoft, Zamil Steel, Pratt & Whitney and Tyco, to name but a few.

Presentations and seminars

A number of expert seminars took place over the duration of the event, beginning on the opening afternoon with a presentation by H.E. Dr Aiham Alsammarae, Iraqi Minister of Electricity.

The next two days saw a number of presentations made, these included topics such as investing in Iraq (Iraqi-British Business Council), the role of private banks (Gulf Commercial Bank), security (Aegis Defence Systems, this also featured Colonel Christopher Mayer, Chief of Staff at the Iraq Project & Contracting Office), the role women have to play in business in Iraq (Iraqi Businesswomen Association), the environment (Al-Bayt University) and a special presentation made by AQABA Special Economic Zone Authority.

Opportunities to relax and network

A special VIP reception took place on the opening evening, held on the luxurious Grand Ballroom terrace of the Grand Hyatt Amman. The following evening saw the holding of an official charity dinner – held to raise money for Medical Aid for Iraqi Children (MAIC) – take place at the Four Seasons Hotel Amman. This provided an ideal opportunity for guests to relax and meet with fellow delegates, in the more informal environment offered by the venue.

A number of addresses were made before the dinner, including an address made on behalf of MAIC, one on behalf of the Kurdistan Regional Government and an address by The Foster Group, sponsors of the dinner engagement. A performance by the legendary Iraqi musician Ilham Madfai provided entertainment following dinner.

Iraq Procurement was a tremendously successful event, instrumental in introducing key Iraqi decision makers to the companies that will aid Iraq in bringing itself into the 21st century. Over the course of the three days corporate executives were able to meet with ministers to discuss the overarching needs of Iraq and Iraqi-Kurdistan’s industry sectors, while the individual company meetings saw much business conducted and key relationships forged.

The success of Jordan as a location for the event is also apparent, the role of the country as the gateway to Iraq, as well as its remote financial capital, having been revived. Following on from the success of Amman – and the first prestigious event in London in April – Iraq Procurement will be returning to Jordan in June to continue the series, having now established the initiative as the premier business summit for Iraq.