Around 350 guests from BIH, the region and the EU will participate at the first investment forum of the BIH diaspora-BHdidFor 2013 that will be held in Prijedor from 11-12 August with the aim to stimulate members of the diaspora and others to invest in BIH and in the Prijedor region or to establish business cooperation.
‘’We wish to raise awareness of the diaspora as a development potential’’, said to Fena Armin Alijagić, President of the Organization “”Naša perspektiva”, the developer of the forum.
He explained that the aim of the gathering is to increase investment in the region of Prijedor and to establish business cooperation between Prijedor companies and companies abroad in which the work or whose owners are members of the diaspora community.
The potentials of investment/business projects will be discussed, and they will speak on the networking of entrepreneurs and investors from BIH and abroad.
The region of Prijedor is favorable for investment from many aspects, and the diaspora is an extraordinary potential. Many of them are owners of companies abroad or they work in high positions in companies.
In the region of Prijedor, the wood and textile industry is particularly developed, as well as the metal sector, but the opportunity for investment in other sectors exists.
Project partners of the forum are the city of Prijdor, the Agency for Economic Development for Prijedor “PREDA-PD”, BIH Foreign Trade Chamber, World Diaspora Association BIH, and the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of BIH organized the forum.
The embassy of Norway and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) financially support the forum.
According to the information from the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, more than 1.350.000 people of BiH heritage live outside of BIH, and in represents a third of the population in BIH.
The diaspora is important due to the potential influx of financial and human resources in the country. Now, the diaspora sends around two billion dollars a year, which is around 20 percent of the GDP.
