The first Homs Business Forum brought together around 700 businesspeople, investors and company representatives from inside and outside Syria to review investment opportunities and discuss the private sector’s role in economic recovery and reconstruction.
Held at the Engineers’ Club, the forum launched a unified electronic investment platform and services portal, alongside a new investment map for Homs. The map includes 135 projects across agriculture, public services, industry, energy, real estate and urban development.
According to the announcement, the projects include 10 agricultural opportunities, 13 in public services, 31 in industry and energy, and 81 in real estate and urban development. Officials said the projects could provide services and opportunities benefiting more than 500,000 people.
The event also saw the granting of Syria’s first official real estate development licence to investor Rifai Hammadi. Presentations covered Homs’ industrial and agricultural base, the Hasiyah industrial city, and a proposed 900,000-square-metre dry port with annual capacity of up to 10 million tonnes.
Participants said the unified platform could improve transparency and give local and overseas investors easier access to project information, requirements and relevant authorities. They also highlighted continuing challenges around licensing, money transfers and investor outreach, calling for simpler procedures and updated regulations.
Source: SANA
