Member Article

Bosnia Bank International (BBI), with support from its Dubai partners and the government of Dubai, has recently presented the Sarajevo Business Forum(SBF) to entrepreneurs from the United Arab Emirates. This year's presentation was further expanded thanks to a collaboration with the Bosnian Council of Ministers and the "Perspectives – China +16" business forum, as the overall interest for the presentation showed Bosnia & Herzegovina to be an increasingly popular area for investing and business in general.

Amer Bukvić, the CEO of BBI, stated how businessmen from the Gulf Area have already been acquainted with the advantages of utilising Bosnia's presence in South East Europe. Nonetheless, he outlined how the wealth of natural resources and a variety of developmental possibilities in areas such as real estate, energy, agriculture, food industry and tourism have been presented as means of further educating the potential investors, all of whom showed great interest in the potential and business opportunities of Bosnia & Herzegovina. There was also a number of entrepreneurs in the audience who were introduced to the benefits of doing business in Bosnia for the first time, and having a chance to see a comprehensive presentation on all of the involving aspects only increased the region's attractiveness in their eyes. Bukvić commented that the availability of skilled labour and a significantly competitive cost structure has been doing wonders in terms of investors' interest. He also took this opportunity to announce the arrival of a large business delegation from the Gulf Bay at the SBF on the 4th and 5th of May in Sarajevo.

Nedim Sahović, sales advisor in BBI and another one of the presenters at the event, added that – apart from the aforementioned industry groups – the entrepreneurs also expressed significant interest for the hospitality industry, specifically in the area of management consulting. Finally, the success of the event could have probably best been measured by the fact that, in the aftermath, many attending firms confirmed their participation at the Sarajevo Business Forum.