arab business club magazine issue 11 february 2013

BUSINESS CLUB

business leaders community

FEBRUARY 2013 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2

MAGAZINEPROFILES n INTERVIEWS n INVESTMENT n OPPORTUNITIES

February 2013, Vo. 2 Issue 2ISSN 2304-3989

AED 15, GCC $5, EUROPE €3 REST OF THE WORLD $6

Expo 2020 Dubai

South Sudan

RESOURCES

A Virgin COUnTrY Open fOr inVesTOrs

OutsOurcing 101…

Pricing yOur PrOduct

ARE YOU A BUSINESS OWNER?

JOIN THE REGION’s BUSINESS

ELITEPage 65

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• On the unique shores of Al Hamriyah area in Sharjah - United Arab Emirates• Luxury 3 & 4 BR villas, Detached &Twins directly on the shores of the island• Park, Recreation Center &mosque• Shops and stores for each island• An integrated high security system • Surveillance cameras advanced 24X7• Green • Green Community environmentally friendly• Easy payments with an ESCROW Bank account

4 arabbusinessclub.org FEBRUARY 2013

FEBRUARY 2013

INSIDEREPORTDubai’s residential real estate sector will continue to experience an upturn over the next 12 months, but the pace of growth is likely to be slower as compared to last year, experts say.

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24MEMBER PROFILENikolaos Tzimas…Visionary Hotelier and Inspiring Business Leader

REPORTIn its last session before the end of 2012, the Lebanese Cabinet set the date for the first tender for oil and gas exploration as Feb. 1. The Cabinet also decided to publish the list of prequalified firms on March 21 and to receive formal applications on May 2.

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12NEWSArab Business Club Expands Its Portfolio of Partnerships with Lead-ing Business Councils in UAE and the Region

ARAB BUSINESS CLUBFEBRUARY

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2 Rocco Forte De Russie Arab Bus Club:- 03/12/2012 16:22 Page 1


48BEST BUSINESS PRACTICECloud Computing has brought about nothing short of a revolution in the SME marketplace. Thanks to the Cloud, the smallest of enter-prises is now able to not only hold their own. To date, SMEs and in particular start-ups, have been faced with the age old issues of limited access to business-critical infrastructure, extortionate set-up fees and unattainable accreditation.

RESOURCES – ENTREPRENEURSHIPAlthough the definition of entrepreneur may vary a bit depending on whom you ask. The basic definition of an entrepreneur is one who organizes a business or develops an idea and takes responsibility for its operation, its profits and its losses.

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28COUNTRY FOCUSAfter the independence of South Sudan on the 9th July, 2011, the country has been referred to as ‘’the world’s newest investment destination’’ which is now open for business. With a potentially fast growing economy and very limited supply of goods and services, South Sudan offers untapped opportunities for investors in many areas of economic activity.

52MARkET INTELLIGENCEDemand for cement and steel in Saudi Arabia are expected to wit-ness tremendous growth on the back of huge spending in the fast growing real estate and construction industry, separate studies revealed.

Resources – Investment

Resources – Finance

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ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

BOAT WINTER Arabian Business Club.ai 1 10/24/12 12:33 PM

FEBRUARY 2013 arabbusinessclub.org 7

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With 2013, Arab Business Club enters its 5th year as the region’s number one business leaders’ community and one of the most flexible and dynamic investment platforms with a track record of building successful and trust-worthy business ties and alliances.

As many of our members me have noticed, we’ve focused our efforts in the last few months on strengthening our relationships with all the leading business councils in the region. Therefore, creating a wide and diverse network of relations and opportunities that will increase the total volume of trade among their respective countries to the benefit of both private businesses and total economy as well.

The list of business councils with whom we have forged partnerships now include: Thai Business Council, Malaysian Business Council, Singapore Business Council, Russian Business Council, French Business Council, Indian Business and Professional Council, in addition to several trade chambers and investment authorities.

Our schedule for 2013 is quite a busy one, with several general and specialized events scheduled to take place throughout the year, living up to Arab Business Club’s reputation as organizer of some of the most successful business events to ever take place in the region.

The start of those events is our delegation visit to Thumbay Group of companies, a modern-day empire which has progressed vigorously over the years and is managed by highly experienced professionals headed by the group’s President Mr. Thumbay Moideen, A man of vision and dynamism, with a determination to succeed.

Make sure to stay tuned to our announcements and invitations so you can secure your place in our upcoming trend-setting events and activities.

FOREWORD

Hamdan Mohamed Al MorshediPresident and Publisher

@HamdanMorshedi


BUSINESS CLUBMAGAZINE

President & PublisherHamdan Mohamed Al [email protected] Managing EditorBasel Aal [email protected] Editorial AssistantEman [email protected]

ContributorsDr. Sultan Al ShaaliHind JamjomNoura Al Suwaidi Art DirectorArab Business Club Design [email protected] Sales & [email protected] SubscriptionsAnnabelle [email protected] Printed ByUnited Print & Publishing, Abu Dhabi

Northern StarPublishing & DistributionOffice No. 111, Pyramid Centre Oud Metha, P.O. Box 2188 Dubai - United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 3583000 Fax: +971 4 3583003 www.arabbusinessclub.org

DisclaimerAll rights reserved. The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Arab Business Club. Readers are requested to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers' particular circumstances. While every effort is taken to ensure accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher is not liable for any errors and / or omissions contained in this publication.

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Published ByArab Business ClubDelaware, New York676A Ninth Avenue # 551

EDITORIAL

A New Country is Born…

Basel Aal BannoudManaging Editor

The year 2013 is looking good so far with most regional economies looking towards solid growth expectations. Large governmental spending on infrastructure and housing is driving growth and development in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while UAE, The only country in the region with an knowledge-based economy, is witnessing a surge in almost all sectors.

Arab Business Club’s numerous and always-growing events and news are the focus of our “News” and “Events” sections, in additions to several new laws that might be important for investors in both Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

It’s not an everyday event when a new country is born, especially ones with version economy and virtually zero-development like those of South Sudan.

This lack of development and infrastructure is usually an obvious hurdle for investment, yet our detailed feature and cover story in the “Country Focus” section argues that this lack of development can be extremely attractive for the investors who are willing to take the risk.

The prospects of Dubai’s fragile real-estate sector in 2013 are the subject of a 2-page report in this issue discussing the situation of Dubai’s real estate sector and its future promises.

Our ‘Resources’ section will provide CEOs, business leaders and entrepreneurs with some vital advices in the different aspects of running a business, be it Management, Investment, finance, marketing or Human resources. While the rest of our sections will continue to provide all the useful information, opportunities and advices you used to love and expect from Arab Business Club Magazine.

Enjoy,

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NEWS

Arab Business Club’s Delegation Visit to Thumbay Group of Companies

The visit started at 11 AM with a cocktail reception that saw the club members and Thumbay’s executives networking and ex-changing opinions and ideas.

The receptions was followed by a semi-nar in one of the university’s amphitheat-ers, The seminar opened by a speech by Mr. Hamdan Mohamed Al Morshedi, president and chairman of the board, Arab Business Club, who said: “Delega-tion visits are one of Arab Business Club’s

traditional activities that have proved to be exceptionally useful in bringing our members together and introducing them to market-leading players and decision makers. This is only the first visit of sever-al delegation visits planned for our mem-bers throughout 2013.”

“Today we are visiting THUMBAY GROUP OF COMPANIES, a business conglomerate headquartered in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. The group has

progressed vigorously over the years and is managed by highly experienced profes-sionals headed by the group’s President Mr. Thumbay Moideen, A man of vision and dynamism, with a determination to succeed. I want to thank you all for com-ing and thank our gracious host and I promise you an exciting year full of busi-ness-generating events and activities with Arab Business Club’s ambitious plan for the year 2013,” he concluded.

Keen on providing its members with the greatest opportunities and opening the doors for promising and lucera-tive business opportunities, Aratb Business Club, the region’s preimier community for investors, business leaders and decision makers, organized on Jnuary the 29th its first delegation visit for the year 2013. The delegation, com-prised of chosen members, visited Gulf Medical University’s Campus and attended a reception, presentation, site tour and lunch all prepared by Thumbay Group of Companies with the attendance of its founder and president, Mr. Thumbay Moideen.


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

LIST OF ATTENDEES - INTRODUCTORY VISIT TO THUMBAY GROUPSN NAME DESIGNATION COMPANY

1 H.E. Behar Bejko Ambassador Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Abu Dhabi (UAE)

2 Mr. Cahyo PurnomoHead of Indonesia Investment Promotion Centre (IIPC) of Abu Dhabi

The Indonesia Investment Promotion Centre (IIPC)

3 Mr. Mohamed Hamdan Bin Jarsh Director General University City

4 H.E. Salman Al Farisi Ambassador Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Abu DHABI, U.A.E.

5 Mr. Emad Al Hasouni Managing Director Superior Technologies

6 H.E. Flavio Fonseca Ambassador Embassy of the Republic of Angola

7 Dr. Ghassan Al Khateri CEO Net Tours

8 Mr. Claude Valle President French Business Council, Dubai & Northern Emirates

9 Mr. James Chang Director Taiwan Trade Center in Dubai

10 Dr. Mohammad Tariq Chairman AXIS Auditing and Accounting

11 Mr. Fu Tai Wei General Manager Taiwan Trade Center in Dubai

12 Ms. Gessy Gitapuri Manager-Sales-UAE The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd.

13 Mr. Prakash S. Parab Director - WMS Dulsco

14 Indranil Bandyopadhyay General Manager Almoe Digital Solutions,Llc

15 Mr. Yunus Abdulhayye Ma Director of Information Division Commercial Office of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

16 Mr. Sultan Al Sultan General Manager Maximum Protection

17 Mr. Coutinho Viquissi Counsellor Embassy of the Republic of Angola

18 Ms. Anna PopovaAssistant to Chairman of the Board-Russian Business Council, UAE Representative of RBTH/Russia Beyond the Headlines

Russian Business Councils

19 Dr. Galina Zhirnova Professor Medical University, Chuvash Republic of Russia

20 Ms. Tatiana PekachDirector of Profile & Head of the Leaugue of Beauty Indus-try Professionals of Chuvash Republic

from Chuvash Republic of Russia

21 Ms. Irina Markova Director Spa Aurum Oasis Lux, Chuvash Republic of Russia

22 Mr. Ammar Al Duwaikh Sales & Leasing Manager Dubai Investments Park Development Co. Llc

23 Dr. Sultan A. Al Shaali CEO Al Shaali Group

24 Mr. Fahid Abdullah Al Shakra Vice Chairman Al Hanoo Real Estate

25 Dr. Omar A. Mashabi General Manager Al Hanoo Real Estate

26 Thumbay Moideen Founder President Thumbay Group

27 Akbar Moideen Thumbay Director Operations, Healthcare and Retail Division Thumbay Group

28 Akram Moideen ThumbayDirector Operations & Finance - Construction and Real Estate Division

Thumbay Group

29 Farhad C. Director - Hospitality Division Thumbay Group

30 Vignesh S. Unadkat Director - IT & Promotions Thumbay Group

31 Manvir Singh Medical Director - Operations, Healthcare Division Thumbay Group

32 Ms. Amy Liou Exhibition Section VI, Exhibition Department Taiwan External Trade Development Council

33 Dr. Essam Soliman M. Atta Assistant Hospital Manager GMC Hospital & Research Centre

34 Abdulla Ahmed Al Badri Head of Public Relations Hamriyah Free Zone Authority

35 Sharif Al-Ferm Director of Sales & Marketing / Partner Lamar Holidays

36 E.Ahmad Altarawneh, MBA Managing Partner Cross Borders Development Consultants

37 Warda M. Mansour Business Dev. Manager Smart Homes


NEWS

The floor was given then to Mr. Thumbay Moideen, founder and president, Thumbay Group of Companies, who thanked the del-egation for their visit saying: “It’s an honor to welcome you into our campus and we I want to thank my friend Hamdan and Arab Business Club for organizing this visit.”

“ We are always looking forward towards expanding our business and the reason we are having this meeting with Arab Business Club members is to explore the prospects of

cooperation and the expansion opportuni-ties that we might find both locally and re-gionally. Thank you again for your visit and I hope that you enjoy your visit to this uni-versity which is we’re extremely proud of.” He concluded.

Mr. Thumbay’s speech was followed by a detailed presentation about Thumbay Group and Gulf Medical University in particular, given by Mr. Vinod Abraham, Director of in-ternal and external affairs, Thumbay Group,

followed by exchanging of gifts of appre-ciation between Mr. Hamdan Mohamed Al Morshedi and Mr. Thumbay Moideen . An exciting site-tour followed, through which the delegation got to see first-hand the ad-vanced level of education and training the students are getting in Gulf Medical Univer-sity.

The site tour was followed by a delicious lunch full of tasty dishes prepared by Mr. Tumbay’s own “The Terrace” restaurant.


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

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Arab Business Club Expands Its Portfolio of Partnerships with Leading Business Councils in UAE and the RegionTrue to its goals and constant thrive to expand its reach and provide its members with more benefits and opportunities, Arab Business Club, the region’s premier society for business leaders, has expanded its portfolio of partnerships with top business councils in the region. The increased number of opportunities resulting from these partnerships will serve the best interest of the cub’s members, while the growth in trade volume will serve the benefits of both the councils’ countries and the countries of the region. Arab Business Club’s list of partners now includes: Thai Business Council, Malaysian Business Council, Singapore Business Council, Russian Business Council, French Business Council, Indian Business and Professional Council, in addition to several trade chambers and investment authorities.

MAIN PARTNERS ANd MEMBERS

B CM A L A Y S I A N B U S I N E S S C O U N C I L . U A E

NEWS


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

Arab Business Club signs a Marketing Agreement with Al Hnoo HoldingArab Business Club, the region’s premier society for business leaders and decision makers, has signed a marketing agreement with Al Hnoo Holding, a pioneering group with impeccable real estate development credentials, whose subsidiary, Marsa Al Nejoum Real Estate, is responsible for the development of the $US6bn Blue Bay Project. According to the agreement, Arab Business Club will help in marketing and selling units in Blue Bay Project to interested investors and corporations. The Club will help Al Hnoo in marketing the project through its vast connections, Arab Business Club Magazine and through specialized events and visits dedicated to promoting the project among the region’s top investors and business leaders.

Located on the shores of Sharjah next to the Hamriyah Free Zone, Blue Bay comprises of 10 islands across naturally-dredged 36 km of white sandy beach and nestled by the fabled waters of the Arabian Gulf.

The Blue Bay ProjectThe project, covering approximately 60 million square feet, is being developed in a series of phases, with the first phase called Blue Corniche, an amazing residential commercial project .

Phase 2 is Blue Islands and it offers luxurious villas with pri-vate swimming pools on the islands. All phases will include a special escrow account to ensure peace of mind for our valuable investors.

Key Features:•95% of the land (including islands) is natural•36 km length of waterfront project•11 km length of corniche water walkway•Full natural water circulation•Water canal width between 100 to 300 m•Land fully owned and water canal work completed


Arab Business Club signs a Marketing Agreement in the UAE with Maximum Protection

Arab Business Club Supports Dubai’s EXPO 2020 Campaign

Arab Business Club, the region’s premier society for business leaders, has signed a marketing agreement within the UAE with Maximum Protection, a leader in the field of security paper and sticker. The company offers comprehensive turnkey solutions that include:

• E-Security Stamper• True-Copy Paper• QR Code Encryption Software• RFID Security Card• Smart Card• Fingerprint Security Stamp• Security Travel Document• Holographic and Hologram• Security label• Security Tape• Security Envelope

Every five years and for a period of six months, World Expos at-tract millions of visitors. The World Expo has never been held in the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia in the history of the event. Dubai’s theme for 2020 is “Connecting Minds, and Creating the Fu-ture.” Al Hashemi said Dubai’s vision for the World Expo would in-clude four sub-themes — sustainability, clean energy, smart systems, and opportunity.

The event itself will be held equidistant between Dubai and Abu Dhabi on 438 hectares of land, allowing visitors the choice of arriv-ing in either of the two cities.

The focal point of the exhibition will be a central pavilion called Al Wasl, which means “The Connection” in Arabic. The plans for the ar-rangement of pavilions from visiting nations is inspired by Arabian souqs or markets. Smaller buildings will be located near the center of the exhibition with larger buildings on the outside. To comply with its sub-theme of mobility, Dubai said it plans build an underground railway system to connect the Al Wasl with the outer pavilions.

True to its role and beliefs Arab Business Club is supporting the Dubai’s EXPO 2020 through its wide connections and relationships as well as events dedicated to this cause.

NEWS

The UAE is bidding to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. True to its role and beliefs Arab Business Club is supporting this campaign.


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB


NEWS

The project to launch the upgrading and expanding of the sewerage infrastructure in south Doha will be tendered towards the end of this year. Work is expected to begin in the first quarter of the next year.

The salient features of the massive project, “Inner Doha Re-sewerage Implementation Strategy (Idris)”, which is expected to cost about QR10bn, were unveiled yesterday by a team of consultants working with Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Asghal) at a gathering attended by engineering and technical professionals, contractors, consultants and bankers .

While explaining the “magnitude” of the project that extends up to Mesaieed, officials hoped it would meet the demands of the population growth of additional 1mn residents in what they referred to as South Doha catchment. It will be fully implemented in about seven to eight years, with the earliest commissioning dates set for some time in the middle of 2019. Once implemented, the project is expected to permanently solve the problem of sewage water flooding in parts of Doha city and the Industrial Area, participating engineers said.

While introducing the strategy, which is aimed at meeting the long-term requirements of the growing population of the southern side in a big way, drainage project department manager Nasser Ghaith al-Kuwari said that Ashghal had adopted a “strategic and comprehensive” approach to deliver some of the country’s largest infrastructure projects aimed at supporting its future socio-economic needs and Idris is one of them.

“Idris will overhaul South Doha’s existing networks’ capabilities and upgrade it significantly for decades to come,” he said.

The project’s highlights include a more than 70km long treated sewage effluent return mains, a deep terminal pump station of approximately 60m, advanced sewage treatment works with an initial capacity of 500mn liters per day, a conveyance system consisting of over 30km of deep main trunk sewerage and 70km of lateral interceptor

sewers. Lateral sewers, it was told, would be used to intercept the flows and to relieve existing overloaded system. The flows will be channelized by gravity to the terminal pump station through the main trunk sewer and then lifted to the new Doha South Sewage Treatment Works (STW) in Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC).

With initial projections indicating that the long-term foul sewage will range from 670mn to 1,100mn liters a day, the new plant will be built in phases to match actual growth in the catchment area. The initial phase to be built under the Idris will treat 500mn liters of effluent wastes a day with the site layout configured to accommodate additional phases that could eventually bring its total capacity to 1,200mn liters a day.

The new Terminal Pump Station (TPS) and Doha South Sewage Treatment Works (STW) will be constructed at the downstream end of the Idris conveyance system. The TPS will be designed with a peak pumping capacity of approximately 12mn cubic meters/sec and conveyed to the New Doha South STW, with an initial capacity of up to 500mn liters per day (MLD), where it will be processed and reclaimed as treated sewage effluent for irrigation purposes.

Also speaking, Ambrose McGuire, of CH2M Hill, a global leader in program management and engineering consulting, said that Idris had been conceived and developed as a major deep tunnel sewerage network and an advanced sewage treatment that would effectively return treated water for irrigation, mainly in the farms, spread over on the country’s western side.

CH2M Hill has been appointed as the program consultant for the project to develop and oversee the implementation of Idris in a safe and sustainable manner,

using some of the innovative approaches in similar projects in the UK, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

The entire program, being implemented after extensive studies and researches carried out by teams of acclaimed professionals, took an integrated approach whereby various influences on sewage flows were examined. They included projected community growth, existing conditions of the drainage system and a host of forthcoming developments such as Doha Expressway Motorway System and Qatar Rail’s Metro, works of which are underway.

Once the work is over, the project will help decommission more than 30 ageing pumping stations in the inner city areas of Doha and replace them with a single large deep terminal pump station, in the Mesaieed area.

It was also explained yesterday that owing to the significant depths of the tunneling works below ground, Idris will utilize some high utility sub-surface techniques and it would help minimize the otherwise usual disruption associated with utility pipeline works.

Consultant Terry Krause and drainage maintenance manager at Ashghal John Drummie explained the important features of the project while taking part in an inter-active session held after its introduction.

QR10bn Drainage Project in South Doha up for Tender

Bahrain Insurance Market Up 9% in Q3 2012

Saudi Shoura Council Approves Two-Day Weekend

Bahraini central bank has said the king-dom’s insurance market has witnessed a 9% year-on-year increase in its gross premiums during the third quarter of 2012 to BD184.11m ($480.6m) by the end of September 2012. The rise was mainly due to a surge in long-term in-surance (Life & Savings Products), regis-tering around 17% increase in gross pre-miums to reach BD42.34m in September 2012 from BD36.06m the previous year, representing almost 23% of the gross premiums written in September 2012, the central bank said.

Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council has approved extending the probationary period of Saudi employees from three to six months, Saudi Gazette has reported. The decision aims to allow Saudis ample time to learn and function adequately in their new jobs. The council also approved a two-day weekend instead of the current one-day off a week and 40 working hours per week.


Egypt’s 2012 Tourist Numbers Up 17%

Egyptian tourism minister Hisham Zaazou has said the country has recorded a 17% increase in tourists in 2012 and a 13% increase in income generated, indicating a steady recovery in the vital industry, Reuters has reported. The minister only gave the percentage rises but said he was pleased with the numbers, which will provide some support for Egypt’s economy. “We did better than anyone expected despite the problems we had,” Zaazou told the news service. “We had an increase of 17% in numbers and a 13% increase in generated income compared to 2011.”

NEWS

Qatar to Enforce Nationalization of Private Sector JobsQatari labor ministry has formed a committee to follow up the jobs-nationali-zation program in the private sector, the Peninsula has reported. The committee will hold meetings with private firms to ensure strict compliance with the Qa-tarization program approved by the cabinet, the ministry said. The cabinet has fixed 20% job quotas in the private sector for citizens and non-specialization jobs have also been Qatarized, it said.

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JANUARY 2013 arabbusinessclub.org 23

Education • Healthcare • Medical Research • Diagnostics • Retail PharmacyHealth Communication • Retail Opticals • Wellness • Nutrition Stores • Hospitality

Real Estate • Publishing •Trading • Marketing & Distribution

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P. O. Box: 4184, Ajman, United Arab EmiratesTel: +9716 7438333, Fax: +9716 7431515, E-mail: [email protected]

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REPORT

While sales and rental rate increases in the emirate are likely to be more subdued in 2013, the recovery will extend to a wider cross-section of Dubai, as opposed to being isolated to prime neighbor-hoods in the emirate over the previous year, according to a new report issued by real estate investment and advisory firm Jones Lang Lasalle. “The market will ex-

perience a broader based recovery, with all sectors seeing some pockets of rental growth in 2013,” said Craig Plumb, head of research at Jones Lang Lasalle, Mena.

Dubai’ safe haven status, rising popula-tion, and improved price/rental perfor-mance have helped foster the improved market sentiment, and with many real

estate projects announced in the past six months, this increased confidence has become more pronounced, the re-port added.

“Further analysis suggests Dubai has passed through the peak of its construc-tion cycle, so increased demand will con-tinue to reduce oversupply,” Plumb said.

Dubai’s Property Sector to See Slower Growth in 2013Dubai’s residential real estate sector will continue to experience an upturn over the next 12 months, but the pace of growth is likely to be slower as compared to last year, experts say.


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

“A number of major projects have been announced in Dubai recently, but these will take some time to come to fruition.”

Still, JLL warns that not all projects or locations will benefit equally from the broader-based recovery, and it urges would-be investors to view the mar-ket with cautious optimism. “Good projects with secure funding and ten-ant commitments will succeed, but we must avoid the over-exuberance and oversupply seen before the global fi-nancial crisis.

Matthew Green, Head of Research UAE at CBRE Middle East, also forecasts that sales and leasing rates in Dubai’s resi-dential real estate sector will continue their upward trend this year albeit at a slower pace than in 2012.

In a new report, he says the country’s strong economic performance is antici-pated to fuel a further influx of qual-ity workforce over the next 12 months, helping to sustain demand for mid and high end residential units.

He adds that the long-awaited Real Es-tate Investor Protection Law, which is expected to be released early this year, could help to further solidify the sec-

tor’s recovery by regulating the off-plan market.

Green also said he believes that a move by the UAE Central Bank to cap loan-to-value ratios for homebuyers in the country would ‘appear to be a reason-able response’ to help ensure that local banks avoid being over-exposed to the property sector such as was the case during the economic crisis.

“Clearly, the government is looking to control speculation in Dubai’s residen-tial sector and avoid further overheat-ing after increasing sales and leasing rates were recorded across much of the marketplace during 2012. However, whilst the move may have a moderate cooling effect on overall sales levels, current market growth is being driven by cash investors rather than end-us-ers,” he said.

“In 2012, Dubai’s mortgage market was estimated at 20 - 30% of total residential transactions, reflecting a high degree of liquidity in the sector. This is a trend that is arguably more difficult to man-age and control, at least without fur-ther regulation or the implementation of higher taxes and levies on property sales,” Green added.

“Dubai’ safe haven status, rising population, and improved price/rental performance have helped foster the improved market sentiment, and with many real estate projects announced in the past six months, this increased confidence has become more pronounced.”

REPORT

ccording to Lebanon’s Energy Minister, Gebran Bassil, more than thirty major firms from differ-ent countries have shown

interest in Lebanon’s oil and gas industry and asked for information as experts es-timate the value of gas in Lebanon to be between $40- $70bn, reported AMEinfo.

The Minister said that he is “Upbeat about the future of oil produc-tion in Lebanon and the investment opportunities the sector would bring to the country.”

This December global energy players are set to meet to discuss the latest progress in the industry at 2nd Lebanon Interna-

tional Oil and Gas Summit (LIOG) 4-5 December 2013.

The annual event for Lebanon builds on the huge success of the LIOG 2012 Summit held under the patronage of the Ministry of Energy and Water Lebanon and in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance.

Lebanon’s Off-Shore Oil & Gas Discoveries Spur Industry’s Interest

In its last session before the end of 2012, the Lebanese Cabinet set the date for the first tender for oil and gas exploration as Feb. 1. The Cabinet also decided to publish the list of prequalified firms on March 21 and to receive formal applications on May 2. The value of natural gas reserves has been estimated as between $300 billion and $600 billion, depending on market prices and supply and demand. Lebanese oil and gas laws require bidders to form alliances of at least three companies to apply for an exploration license.

A26 arabbusinessclub.org FEBRUARY 2013

ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

“2012 saw the inaugural International Oil and Gas Summit to be held in Lebanon and the event exceeded our expectations in welcoming 332 delegates to the sum-mit with delegates coming from all over the world. Having the official patronage of the Ministry of Energy and Water and working in collaboration with the Minis-try of Finance Lebanon and our Lebanese organizing partner meant that we had all the right support for LIOG to really make its mark as the most prestigious interna-tional Oil and Gas event in Beirut. The 2013 event will build on this success and falls perfectly in December after the gov-ernment’s clear pathway for the first ever licensing round in Lebanon,” Said Paul Gilbert, Managing Director from the or-ganizers Global Event Partners Ltd.

From the 332 strong delegation, 153 in-ternational and Lebanese companies were represented at LIOG 2012 with delegates coming from 23 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Italy, Lebanon, Netherlands, Nor-way, Qatar, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emir-ates, and United Kingdom.

“The timing of the LIOG 2012 Summit helped make the event such a great suc-cess, as the world eyes turned towards Lebanon with the latest announcement on the appointment of the Petroleum Administration (PA), whose members attended throughout the Summit. This announcement also coincided with the intensified efforts to launch the bids for explorations offshore, after the encourag-ing results of the recent seismic surveys. This all helped to really put Lebanon on the international energy map and so stakeholders chose to meet at LIOG to find out all the latest industry news,” said Antoine Dagher, Corporate Communica-tions Manager, Petroleb.

Sponsors and Exhibitors at LIOG included Petroleb, BB Energy, Hypco, CCE, Shell, Bank Audi, JX Nippon, Schlumberger, OMV, Bureau Veritas, Elard Group, Spec-trum, Wildcat Oilfield Services and the Ministry of Energy and Water Lebanon.

Shell sponsored the coffee breaks, BB En-ergy and Hypco sponsored the lunch and Petroleb chose to sponsor the lanyards and registration.

“I think the Lebanon International Oil and Gas Summit went very, very well; there are a lot of companies from abroad... we have great hopes for this project which is good for Lebanon and for everyone in-volved in the event,” Said the LIOG Spon-sor Bashir Bassatne, Managing Director, BB Energy/Hypco.

LIOG had widespread support from in-ternational associations including the UK Department of Trade and Invest-ment, The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian and Italian Chambers of Commerce.

LIOG also gained vast media attention with attendance from more the 30 major TV channels, radio stations and news-papers in Lebanon including Bloomberg news, CNBC Arabia, Daily Star, El Hayat, L’Orient-Le Jour, MTV, NBN, Qatar TV, Reuters, Sky News Arabia, Tele Liban and The Guardian.

LIOG featured presentations from a high calibre speaker line-up including H.E. Mr. Mohammed A. Safadi, Minister of Fi-nance, Lebanon, Dr. Naji Abi Aad, C.O.O, Petroleb Lebanon, Mr Mounir Bouaziz, Vice President, MENA, Shell and H.E. Mrs. Angeling Eichorst, Head of EU Del-egation to Lebanon, European Union who were among the 35 strong speaker line up of experts from both the public and pri-vate sectors.

Delegates also had the opportunity to take part in interactive discussion sessions with the speakers and enjoyed extensive networking opportunities throughout the summit during the lunches and coffee breaks and gala dinner.

With a highly topical agenda and a crowd of high-caliber speakers, delegates, spon-sors and supporters, the Lebanon Interna-tional Oil and Gas Summit (LIOG) suc-cessfully established itself as a milestone in the development of the emerging Oil and Gas industry in Lebanon. LIOG 2013 will build on its excellent reputation and will take place 4-5 December 2013 at the Phoenicia Hotel


MEMBER PROFILE

Born in and 1952 in Athens and graduated from the Rhodes Tourism College and Technical College of Hackney (UK) in 1973, Nikolaos Tzimas quickly found himself occupying mana-gerial positions at several renowned 5 stars hotels in Crete: Creta Maris (1200 rooms), Nana Beach (700 rooms), Zorbas Village & Anissa Beach and Creta Panorama hotel (1300 rooms).

Tzimas joined the team of Helios Hotels and Resorts for the first time in the year 2000, as General Manager of two of the chain’s hotels – Nafplia Palace in Nafplion, Peloponnese and Grand Resort Lagonissi in Athens which was still under con-struction. In 2001, Grand Resort Lagonissi became operational, quickly gaining a strong position in the luxury hotels’ market.

Come 2002, Tzimas moved to the island of Paros in Cyclades where he will open his own 5 stars – 29 suits Acquamarina Re-sort, which he’ll operate till 2009.

Back to Athens, in 2009, Tzimas retook the management of the Grand Resort Lagonissi and Nafplia Palace, a position that he still occupies to this day, giving inspiration and motivation to the Grand Resort’s staff and personnel and shaping its vision and image as one of the leading leisure, meditation and business destination in the Mediterranean. Being one of Arab Business Club’s newest and most esteemed members, Arab Business Club magazine had the honor of interviewing Mr. Nikolaos Tzimas and came up with this exiting and inspiring Interview…


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

Nikolaos Tzimas…Visionary Hotelier and Inspiring Business Leader • Tell us more about Grand Resort Lagonissi, its goals, vision and success story.

Grand Resort Lagonissi is a unique re-sort located on the Athenian Riviera. It is set in a 72 acres verdant private penin-sula with a stunning coastline of intimate coves and sandy beaches. Accommoda-tion of luxurious bungalow, suites on the waterfront and villas with private pools, overlook the gorgeous panorama of the Aegean Sea.

The natural beauty of this exclusive re-treat compliments the refined ambiance by offering supreme comfort to the guests with private exercise quarters, high tech-amenities and quality service.

Exclusively presented in Grand Resort Lagonissi, the Thalaspa, by Henri Chenot, is a holistic sanctuary committed to the use of select products, created from the purest ingredients and offering a complete range of therapies for body, mind and spirit.

The peninsula of Grand Resort Lago-nissi became, also, a landmark for the international business society by offering a state of the art Congress Center Grand Hall, where many global events have been organized with great success.

Gourmet a la carte restaurants and bars offer a fine-dining experience, while awarded Chefs present cuisines from Italy, Polynesia, and Greece in seven unique venues on the water front.

Taken all these amnesties and services into account, Grand Resort Lagonissi’s true crown jewel, however, is the highly trained and dedicated personnel who pro-vide exclusive and comprehensive services insuring our guests a memorable stay.

• What differentiates Grand Resort Lagonissi from other ho-tels and resorts offering similar services?

The Grand Resort Lagonissi belongs to the Helios Hotels & Resorts – the world famous Greek chain of hotels, which in-cludes Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas, Elounda Bay Palace, Kalimera Kriti and Kernos Beach on Crete, Naplia Palace and Amfitryon Hotel in Nafplion, Pelo-ponnese. The Helios Hotels & Resorts are considered to be Greece’s premier resorts, offering stunning accommodations in all degrees of opulence, a tempting selection of award-winning restaurants, recrea-tional & spa amenities and hi-tech confer-

ence facilities, making it perfect for leisure, business, family vacations, weddings and honeymoons.

It’s a little wonder, then, that they are a preferred choice of the world’s elite travel-ers and tourists.

Grand Resort Lagonissi has been re-peatedly awarded by travel and tourism experts and Trip advisors: Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Greece in 2012 by Travellers’ Choice Award, , Best Beach Resort in Eu-rope for 2011 by Eye Awards and Conde Nast Greece Traveller Reader’s Choice for Best Hotel for Vacation both in 2011 and 2012.

Grand Resort Lagonissi represents consummate luxury in terms of location, design, facilities and service. The high-est level of pampering, relaxation, leisure and recreation are values offered to the discerning visitor who wants to live this experience. Located on the south side of the Athens area, in a 72 acre peninsula of unique charm, Grand Resort exudes an aura of distinction and elegance. The mag-ical location, surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Aegean Sea, offers both natu-ral beauty and cultural treasures which have given birth to the Olympic spirit and defined Greek hospitality.



All villas, suites and bungalows are situated along the waterfront of the bay and offer ultimate privacy in a true dream world. Luxury Facilities include: Butler Service, Indoors Spa, Private Trainer, Private Heat-ed pool, Sauna, Jacuzzi, Hi-Tec Audio (vil-la), Massage beds and Indoors gym area.

Being a member of the Leading Hotels of the World since 2001, Grand Resort Lago-nissi offers high standards of personalized service, which in combination with the unique location makes the resort ideal des-tination for any kind of traveler for leisure or business.

Business FacilitiesBusiness Facilities This exclusive resort is ideal for the perfect business event or that special occasion as it has a tranquil and magical setting encircled by the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Having received several specialized awards, the resort offers high standards, state of the art technology, great accessibility, deluxe accommodation and has hosted several high profile events

and meetings through the years. Business facilities include the Grand Conference Hall, Business centre, Boardrooms for pri-vate meetings, Suites & Villas available for private dining, Teleconference and Web casting Capabilities, Wireless High Speed internet, Indoor parking facility with direct access to the Grand Hall, Audio Visual equipment and technical support. The function rooms hold from 20-380 participants with the Grand Hall confer-ence center holding a maximum of 3000 participants. Whatever the occasion, the Grand Resort Lagonissi is ready to tailor-make your next meeting or special event.

The Resort is only 22 Km away from Athens International Airport El. Venizelos, and 40 km away from Athens City Centre and the historical sites, allowing its visi-tors to experience the feeling of being on a calm and relaxing island while being in close proximity to Athens.

Special Travel FacilitiesAll ultimate luxury services are there, avail-

able to all guests looking for something special. From hiring your own private Jet to the Helipad & Helicopter service, Lim-ousine service & Car rent, Yacht rent, Pri-vate sightseeing transport & guided tours.

• What’s the future strategy of Grand Resort Lagonissi and how do you see its position in the future?

The future strategy of Grand Resort Lago-nissi is to strengthen its position in the market of luxury hotels both abroad and in Greece, through wide development of the area.

Among the future constructions we have 5 Grand Royal Residences of 2.200,00 m² each, 10 Royal Residences of 1.200,00 m² each, 22 Mini Royal Residences 745,00 m² each; construction of the Thalassotherapy & Medical Spa area for capable of accom-modating 150 persons and development of the vast area – organization of new beach areas etc.

MEMBER PROFILE

“Grand Resort Lagonissi’s true crown jewel is the highly trained and dedicated personnel who provide exclusive and comprehensive services insuring our guests a memorable stay.”

© Bennett Jones 2012. All rights reserved.

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South Sudan…A Virgin World Open for Investors

COUNTRY FOCUS


After the independence of South Sudan on the 9th July, 2011, the country has been referred to as ‘’the world’s newest investment destination’’ which is now open for business. With a potentially fast growing economy and very limited supply of goods and services, South Sudan offers untapped opportunities for investors in many areas of economic activity. It is estimated that the economy of South Sudan is growing at the rate of 7-10% per annum. Yet, just like any other emerging country in Africa, substantial challenges do exist and investing large capitals in the newly established country requires a significant leap of faith.

ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

Huge Potential for Investors

The economy of South Sudan is supported by oil revenues from the country’s oil wells hitherto shared with the North. Assuming that the country receives its rightful val-ues of the oil, the revenue should be suf-ficient to adequately finance the country’s development expenditures. The demand for investments in a wide range of develop-ment projects need not be emphasized as it can appropriately be described as ‘massive’ and the oil revenues, cited above, will be responsible for the financing of this boom.

Additional support will come from de-velopment partners including the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) and other in-ternational development agencies like the USAID, UNDP etc. The demand for in-vestments in the production/importation of all types of goods and services continue to increase: infrastructure, housing, hotels, vehicles, consumer goods, financial ser-vices, etc.

After years of war and neglect, local sup-plies of all types of goods and services are virtually non-existent Unlike other coun-tries of comparable size, South Sudan has no major hotels, only one major private

school and one private health clinic; only one private bank with national branch net-work, one supermarket and virtually no local manufacturing (just about 4 water bottling plants and 1 brewery) exist in the country. Virtually all goods are imported at a considerable premium over world prices. Due to lack of hospitals and schools/colleg-es those who can afford to do so fly abroad for health, education and other services. There is a massive infrastructure deficit.

After 30 years of war neglect, South Sudan has critical infrastructure shortages in all areas: less than 1% of the population has ac-cess to electricity, less than 1% of the main roads are paved, less than 1% of the popu-lation lives in formal housing and there are virtually no organized retail, commercial or industrial real estate available. With in-dependence and relative stability now tak-ing root, economic activity is growing fast enough to generate commercially viable demand for infrastructure in many areas, thanks to oil revenues, government spend-ing, remittances, returnees and new invest-ment; demand for transportation, power and property is growing strongly. Com-mercial customers (mines, oil companies, manufacturers, hotels etc.) are ready to pay for the infrastructure they need.



COUNTRY FOCUS

The private sector is expected to spear-head investments that will provide the lacking goods and services. Given the scale of investment required, the government of South Sudan realizes it cannot possibly build and operate the entire infrastructure needed. The government is, therefore, ea-ger to bring in private investors to build and operate any infrastructure that can be run commercially (e.g. property devel-opment, power generation, airports, toll roads, and bridges, railways, river servic-es, etc), so that the government can chan-nel the scarce resources on infrastructure in other areas like primary health, educa-tion, local roads, water supply etc. There are enormous opportunities for entrepre-neurs who are ready to invest in the local provision of goods and services.

The government is committed to build-ing a robust, private-sector-led economy, ensuring economic stability and strongly supporting private sector development. To meet this demand the government is keen to attract investors to build and op-erate critical infrastructure on Public Pri-vate Partnership-PPP basis in a number of sectors. Article 40 of the Interim Con-stitution and Vision 2040 unequivocally articulates the government’s commitment to a free market economy, private sector

driven development and promotion of SMEs; domestic and foreign investments and public-private partnerships. In sup-port of an open, free-market economy, the government is committed to a macro-economic stability, fiscal prudence, low inflation and an open exchange regime. A new currency has been launched, and an independent Central Bank charged with managing macro-economic stability. In-vestment opportunities are available in several sectors including:-

In the area of transport, investments are urgently required to build toll roads and bridges (on routes with heavy commercial traffic). Investments in national infra-structural facilities like airports, `railways, river docks and ferries are still wide open. Electricity for industrial use and lighting are not available so that investments in dedicated power generation facilities or large-scale industrial and mining compa-nies are an urgent issue. Power generation facilities and distribution, Joint Ventures in each state (selling direct to commercial and residential customers); power genera-tion facilities selling to the national util-ity institution, South Sudan Electricity Corporation, are open investment pos-sibilities. In property development sec-tor, housing projects – at all price points,

shopping centers and retail complexes, of-fice buildings, ministries and government buildings and industrial parks are poten-tial areas of investments.

Although oil is the major source of devel-opment revenue for South Sudan, oil and gas exploration and production is not yet complete. Sudan as a whole has 6 billion barrels of oil reserves (the third largest in Sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and An-gola) and 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves. Sudan exported more than $10 billion of oil in 2010. 75% of these reserves are located in South Sudan (approximately 5 billion barrels). With independence and the lifting of sanctions, the government of South Sudan is keen to attract more oil majors to develop production in blocks that are not yet producing. Besides, oil and gas refinery, storage and pipelines are non-existent in South Sudan. Currently all oil produced in South Sudan runs through pipelines and refineries located in North Sudan. With independence, the govern-ment of South Sudan is keen to attract in-vestors to develop a refinery (to meet local and regional demand for petroleum prod-ucts) and storage facilities and additional pipelines to handle exports.

South Sudan is rich in mineral deposits including gold, uranium, iron, copper, diamonds and more but due to war and neglect, these resources have never been properly exploited. With independence and the lifting of sanctions, the govern-ment of South Sudan wishes to attract in-vestors to develop these resources.

The potential investment in tourism is very great. More than 22 national game parks, game reserves, bird sanctuaries and other protected areas covering more than 1 million hectares exist. A 2010 census by Wildlife Conservation Society estimated total number of white-eared kob and other migratory animals at 1.3 million, approaching the scale of the Serengeti mi-gration. There are excellent bird-watching potential in Sudd Wetlands and excellent conditions for adventure tourism: bal-looning, rafting, kayaking, rock-climbing, hiking, etc.; besides fascinating cultural traditional and historic sites.


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

Demand for education is growing at all lev-els. Unlike other major cities in the region, there are no international schools or col-leges in Juba.

There is currently just one well-regarded private school in Juba with capacity for just a few dozen students. As a result it is estimated that more than 50,000 South Sudanese are sent to private schools and colleges in Kenya, Uganda, and further afield every year.

Currently only one international Medical Clinic operates in Juba, the Juba Medical Complex (JMC) which currently has 40 beds and plans to expand to 100 beds. JMC has treated more than 5,200 patients in the 10 months since it opened. The vast majority of government officials, middle class locals and expats fly abroad for medical treatment.

Government spending on overseas medi-cal treatment for government officials reached $13 million in 2010 and is dou-bling every year.

Challenges for Investors

Today South Sudan is still facing deep-seated political uncertainty. Many key components of the CPA have not been im-plemented in a satisfactory manner and in good faith. Among these are: the demar-cation of the North – South border, the sharing of oil revenues and related issues; the Abyei issue, popular consultations in Southern Blue Nile and Southern Kordo-fan. Other uncertainties include issues of citizenship and nationality, the distribu-tion of assets and international debts, oil fields, production and transport, public services and pensions, treaties and inter-national conventions, land ownership and water resources.

Insecurity remains a major problem fac-ing South Sudan. In many states of South Sudan, ethnic conflict is widespread due to competition over natural resources and the proliferation of modern weapons among the citizens. The recent (mid-August, 2011) clashes between the Lou Nuer and the

Murle in which over 640 people died, in Aror in Jonglei State, is a case in point.

There are also lapses in the way in which the Sudan as whole has been governed. Over the past several years, Sudan has been classified by Transparency Interna-tional (TI) and such other similar organi-zations in the world as one of the most corrupt countries, and the situation is getting worse. The 2010 Mo Ibrahim In-dex of African Governance has ranked Sudan as number 47 out of 53 African countries. And according to some ana-lysts, the situation of governance in South Sudan could be worse. Public institutions which normally promote private invest-ments are still very weak in South Sudan which is a very large territory covering an area of 648,051 square kilometers with very serious underdevelopment of basic infrastructure. The costs of transport, telecommunications, financial services, water and sanitation services; power sup-ply are a major concern for investors who cannot do without these utilities.

COUNTRY FOCUS

The financial sector in South Sudan re-mains very ineffective due to limited banking networks. There are only seven banks operating in South Sudan today, namely: Kenya Commercial Bank, Eq-uity Bank, Agricultural Bank of Sudan, Buffalo Bank, Commercial Bank of Ethi-opia, Ivory Bank, and Nile Commercial Bank. Non-bank financial institutions that offer loan are even scarcer. How-ever, insurance companies are begin-ning to appear. There are six of them in South Sudan namely: Juba Insurance Company, National Insurance Corpora-tion of Uganda, New Sudan Insurance Company, Savanna Insurance Company, Sheikan Insurance Company and UAP.

Micro finance institutions are even few-er. There are four of them operating in South Sudan, including BRAC, Finance Sudan, RUFI and Sudan Micro Finance Institution (SUMI). This situation raises the cost of doing business in South Su-dan and can discourage investors. With-out a public credit registry or private credit bureau in Juba, creditors cannot obtain reliable information on debtors.

And without a collateral registry, entre-preneurs have a hard time using their as-sets as guarantees for loans.

High level and multiplicity of taxes and poor tax administration is another prob-lem. This is particularly true in the bor-der towns, and this has made tax admin-istration extremely difficult. These taxes and the manner in which they are ad-ministered have a disincentive effect on business activity. South Sudan enacted a Taxation Act in 2009. However, this new tax has not been fully implemented so that the tax system remains poorly de-veloped. High tax rates and burdensome tax administration are consistently listed as some of the obstacles to investing in South Sudan. Some investors have been heard complaining that they know about their obligation to pay taxes but they do not know how much to pay and to who. Consequently, only a few companies pay taxes based on ‘agreed’ figures. The tax system in South Sudan is complex and lacks transparency, creating confusion to entrepreneurs. The enforcement of the Tax Identification Number (TIN), pro-

vided for in the Taxation Act, 2009 and the proposed creation of a South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) will probably be the final answer to the tax problems.

Although land is abundantly available in South Sudan, many difficulties are expe-rienced in acquiring ownership rights, both by the citizens and foreigners. This problem is particularly acute in Juba, the seat of the government. The Land Act 2009 & Investment Promotion Act 2009 make clear provisions to enable investors acquire land while the local communi-ties owning the land remain protected. The Land Act divides land into three categories: public land, community land and private land.

Human Resource Skills such as masonry, carpentry, nursing, accounting, plumb-ing, secretariat work, car repair and maintenance, paralegal skills and other sub-professional and technical skills are rather in short supply in South Sudan. These have to be imported mostly from the neighboring countries at high cost. This could discourage investment.


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

Governmental Incentives for InvestorsThe Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GoSS) is keen to cultivate and nur-ture a conducive investment environment in the country. Consequently, it has put in place necessary procedures and systems to facilitate rapid business setup in the coun-try through the respective ministries and commissions. It also organizes trade fairs in which potential investors are able to meet government officers as well as their potential South Sudanese counterparts in Juba and other places. These have been a great success. The government has also taken spe-cific steps to promote investment in the country. Some of these include: • Establishment of Southern Sudan In-

vestment Authority (SSIA);• Development of investments laws which

spell out the investment guidelines in the country;

• Equal treatment and opportunity for lo-cal and international investors; and

• Enactment of specific laws that support investment by making provisions for at-tractive fiscal regimes, protection of in-dustrial and intellectual property rights, credible guarantee of legal security and investment stability, repatriation of profits and dividends, custom duties exemptions, as well as reduced red tape and bureaucracy.

The specific investment policies include:• Policy of non-discrimination - foreign

investors are allowed to invest in and run businesses in any sector in South-ern Sudan;

• Guarantees against expropriation - The government shall not nationalize any enterprise. Further, no investor will be compelled (by law or otherwise) to cede any part of investment capital;

• Protection of Intellectual Property laws - The government shall protect all intellectual property and rights of all persons and investors. All trademarks, copyrights, patents, etc will be enforced;

• Access to Public Information - Inves-tors have open and direct access to all laws and decisions of courts, other ad-

judicative bodies and to any public in-formation;

• Repatriation of capital, profits and divi-dends - investors have the right to freely repatriate their money in freely con-vertible currency or dispose of it in any manner they deem fit, subject to tax and other lawful obligations; and

• Dispute Resolution - Any aggrieved investor has recourse to the courts of Southern Sudan which has jurisdic-tion over business disputes. Parties to a dispute are also free to specify alter-native dispute resolution mechanisms they may agree upon. Any investor in dispute with the GoSS has recourse to internationally accepted dispute resolu-tions mechanisms.

Investors may also be allocated public land by the national or state govern-ments provided:• the investor obtains a Certificate of In-

vestment from the Ministry of Com-merce, Industry and Investment

• the investor obtains appropriate finan-cial and environmental clearance and guarantees from the financial institu-tions and the Ministry of Environment

• the investment will contribute to the economic and social development of the community giving out the land

• the community will satisfactorily be compensated for the allocated land

• the investor consents to a 30 year re-newable lease for agricultural invest-ment

• the investor consents to a 60 year re-newable lease for forestry investment

• leases for investments in mining and quarrying will remain valid for the life of the mine and the quarries

Investors may also be allocated Commu-nity Land for investment in agriculture, forestry, ranching or residential housing development provided the community is sufficiently consulted, the land does not exceed 250 acres, the State Administra-tion Office is fully involved and the land in question is properly registered. Non South Sudan citizens may acquire private land leaseholds of up to 99 years through private treaties for any investment. Al-though the two statutes were passed in 2009, their implementation has run into problems and must be reviewed in due course.

“Although land is abundantly available in South Sudan, many difficulties are experienced in acquiring ownership rights, both by the citizens and foreigners. This problem is particularly acute in Juba, the seat of the government.”


COUNTRY FOCUS

• Official Name: Republic of South Sudan

• Independence Day: 9 July 2011• Capital City: Juba• Time Zone: East African Time

(GMT+3)• Official Language: English• Currency: South Sudan Pound

(SSDG)• Population: 8,260,490 (2008 cen-

sus)

• Diplomatic Community: India, Arab Republic of Egypt,

Republic of Uganda, Republic of Kenya, State of Eritrea, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, The Great Socialist People’s Arab Jamahiriya of Libya, British Embas-sy, The Royal Netherlands Embassy Office Juba, Norway, Italy, The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, China, South Africa, United States, France, Turkey, Zim-babwe and Nigeria.

Representative offices include the

European Union Office, Joint Do-nor Team Office, Arab League of Nations, African Union, Japan In-ternational Cooperation Agency, World Bank, and Swiss Coopera-tion Office Juba.

• RSS Missions Abroad: Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya,

Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, Norway, Belgium, United Kingdom, Canada and United States of America

• Constitution: Transitional Consti-

tution of South Sudan (2011) • States: The Republic of South Su-

dan has ten states. They include Central Equatoria (Juba), Western Equatoria (Yambio), Eastern Equa-toria, (Torit), Jonglei (Bor), Unity

(Bentiu), Upper Nile (Malakal), Lakes (Rumbek), Warrap (Kuacjok), Western Bahr el Ghazal (Wau), and Northern Bahr el Ghazal (Aweil).

• Political Parties: Sudan People Liberation Move-

ment (SPLM), National Congress Party (NCP), Sudan People’s Lib-eration Movement – Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), Sudan Af-rican National Union (SANU), United Democratic Front (UDF), Union of Sudan African Parties (USAP 1), Union of Sudan Afri-can Parties (USAP 2), South Su-dan Democratic Front (SSDF), and United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF).

• Area: 619,745 square kilometers.• Boundaries: Sudan to the north,

Ethiopia to the east, Uganda and Kenya to the southeast, Democratic Republic of Congo to the southwest and Central African Republic to the west.

• Climate: Equatorial climate with

high humidity and lots of rainfall. The rainy season varies but is gen-erally between April and Novem-ber. Temperatures are moderate but vary depending on the season.

• Terrain: Mainly plain interrupted every so often by hilly areas with thick equatorial vegetation and sa-vannah grasslands. The country also has mountainous ranges along its border with Uganda. Some of these include Imatong, Didinga and Dongotona, which rise more than 3,000 meters above sea level.

• Mineral Resources: Include petro-leum, iron ore, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, coal, uranium, chro-mium ore, copper, zinc, mica, dia-mond, quartz and tungsten.

• Water Resources: The River Nile is the dominant geographic feature in South Sudan, flowing across the country. South Sudan is home to the world’s largest swamp, the Sudd, which covers a total area of 30,000 square kilometers.

REPUBLIC OF SOUTh SUDAN IN A GLANCE


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Swimming Upstream…Best Businesses to Start in a Recession

RESOURCES – INVESTMENT


Many people are not only unemployed but underemployed during a recession. Both conditions may stimulate the entrepre-neurial spirit and lead to the creation of new small businesses. Interestingly, the cre-ation of new small businesses is often what leads us out of recession as small business drives the economy to a large extent.

Best Businesses to Start in a RecessionWhile most businesses, large and small, suffer during recessions, some small busi-nesses thrive during the same circum-stances. These businesses are called coun-ter-cyclical businesses. Starting any small business during a recession is a baptism by fire, but if you can survive, you will thrive as the economy recovers. These business ideas are viable during a recession. As the economy recovers, they will still be sus-tainable businesses that will prosper.

Bulk Food SalesWhen economic times are tough, many people buy food in bulk. They buy large quantities of items like flour, sugar, laun-dry detergent and any other products they use on a long term basis. A good idea for a small business is a bulk foods operation.

Affordable Luxury ItemsAffordable luxury items seem like a con-tradiction but it isn’t. During a recession, people tend to feel deprived. Starting a small retail operation that sells a mid-level luxury chocolate instead of a top-level lux-ury chocolate might do very well. An ice cream shop that sells a cut above regular ice cream, but in small quantities, might prosper. You could start a travel agency that specialized in affordable, but luxury vaca-tions. An example would be a local luxury vacation instead of one in Europe.

Accounting ServicesWho would guess that accounting services would prosper in a recession? According to a survey done by Intuit in 2009 of 250 accountants and 250 small business own-ers, about 80% of small business owners said they felt more confident having an ac-

countant as a close business advisor during this uncertain economic time. About 73% of accountants are proactively advising their clients on how to conduct their busi-nesses during this trying economic time. Rich Walker, an executive with Intuit, said, in a recent interview, that the accountant was a piece of the puzzle for the small busi-ness that included others such as the bank-er, the attorney, and the financial planner.

Auto Repair ServicesAuto repair services grow by leaps and bounds during a recession. The last thing people want to do during a recession is make a large purchase like a car. They try to keep their current cars running instead. If you are an unemployed auto mechanic or if you are a business manager who wants to start an auto repair business, you’re in luck during a recession. It’s probably one of the best businesses you can start. Even when the recession is over, there is always a de-mand for auto mechanics.

Resume-Writing ServicesDuring a recession, unemployment is high. Many people lose their jobs. Along with unemployment, there is also underemploy-ment where people aren’t working up to their potential. Everyone is looking to pol-ish up their resume. There is a demand for experienced resume-writers, another busi-ness you can run out of your home.

Tutoring ServicesTutoring services is another job that is virtually recession proof. Many individu-als go back to college when the job market is tight.

As different sorts of job become available, such as jobs in green industries, tutoring services are going to be even more in de-mand. If you are a tutor, you can conduct your business online, in person, or both, which makes it very versatile. If your field is a popular field, then all the better as your services will be in high demand.

“Starting any small business during a recession is a baptism by fire, but if you can survive, you will thrive as the economy recovers.”

RESOURCES – INVESTMENT


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Virtual AssistantThe job of Virtual Assistant didn’t exist just a few years ago. During the recession, this profession has really grown has companies have not had the money to hire expensive staff people on site. As a result, they have had to outsource many functions. The Vir-tual Assistant serves as an administrative assistant to executives, CEO’s, entrepre-neurs, and entire businesses. The commu-nication is done online and on the tele-phone. Virtual Assistants are cheaper and just as efficient for businesses as in-house assistants. The job is nearly recession-proof.

Why Recession is a Good Time to Start a Small Business

Many people spend years tinkering with a product in their garage. Others spend time drawing out ideas for a special service in their home office. However, they hold down full-time jobs and never have time to go ahead with their inventions. During a recession, if their job status changes, it may be just the time to go forward with their in-ventions and ideas.

Here are some reasons that a recession may be a good time to start a small business:

• Your competitors are weakened: Because of the recession, your competitors are not only weakened but perhaps even closing up and selling out. Maybe some owners are retiring. All are tightening their belts. There may be a niche for you to slip into if a hole is developing in the marketplace.

• Is your product or service viable in a good or bad economy? Just because there may be a market niche for your product or service doesn’t mean you can just stick any product in it. A flawed idea never works in the long-term. You need to do extensive market research to find out if your product or service is needed in both good and bad economies because the economy will eventually recover.

• Most things are cheaper: Prices often drop during a recession. This is called deflation. Office space is cheaper be-

cause it is plentiful, although starting your small business in a recession out of a home office may be the best idea. You may be able to find good sales on every-thing from office furniture to office sup-plies. If you need to hire personnel, you may find you can hire talented people for lower wages.

• Buy what you need at auction: If you want to try to get what you need to start your business really cheap, try buying it at auction. There are usually lots of auc-tions during recessions. You might even be able to get fleets of vehicles, large machinery or restaurant equipment, or other usually expensive large items at rock bottom prices if you try going to auctions.

• Be frugal: If you are starting a business during a recession, you are starting with a very limited budget. Chances are, you don’t have access to angel investors or venture capitalists. You may have access to funds from your family or friends since, in a recession, they may not be investing in the stock market or other financial instruments. Be frugal with

the funds you have or obtain. Cut your budget, and then cut it again. You will have to track your expenditures care-fully. You should pay close attention to your cash flow and budgets. Be prepared to operate under Spartan conditions.

• Negotiate better terms with your suppli-ers: During a recession, credit is tight or virtually non-existent. Suppliers are like-ly to give a company good terms under these conditions.

“During a recession, credit is tight or virtually non-existent. Suppliers are likely to give a company good terms under these conditions.”



RESOURCES – ENTREPRENEURShIP

Although the definition of entrepreneur may vary a bit depend-ing on whom you ask. The basic definition of an entrepreneur is one who organizes a business or develops an idea and takes responsibility for its operation, its profits and its losses.

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs


Various Types of Entrepreneurs

An entrepreneur may be a home-based entrepreneur that operates a small business out of his or her home, an online or Internet entrepreneur who operates business primarily over the web, or a mogul like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, who started small businesses only to have the flourish into multi-billion dollar corporations.

Entrepreneurs may also consist of inventors, like Thomas Edison, who develop and patent an idea to profit from its usage and applications by others.

Many would argue that entrepreneurial drive is a trait that’s acquired at birth, while others disagree and believe that anyone can become an entrepreneur if he or she is so inclined. Essentially, entrepreneurs are considered independent thinkers who dare to dream and believe that they have the ability to succeed. Self-confidence and determination are characteristics of nearly all successful entrepreneurs.

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Not everyone is cut out to strike out on their own as an entrepreneur and a business owner. If you don’t have the characteristics necessary to be a small business owner, chances are your small business will not succeed.

Successful small business owners have many and varied characteristics:

• A successful entrepreneur is motivated by personal and family considerations.

The number of small businesses around the world is growing very rapidly. By far, small businesses employ more people than large businesses and export the vast majority of products. Many people are motivated by the flexibility provided to them if they own a small business. They may have children or elderly parents to

care for. They may even want to put adult children or elderly parents on the payroll and have a true family business. There are many reasons that individuals consider a small business besides the profit motive.

• A desire for independence and a strong sense of initiative are usually characteristics of a successful entrepreneur.

Large organizations where you have to answer to someone else are often stifling to an entrepreneurial personality. Entrepreneurs desire independence and have a sense of initiative that makes them want to use their own abilities to the greatest extent possible. They are willing to work long, hard hours to make their business succeed. Large organizations often frustrate them.

• Successful entrepreneurs react quickly to change.

Change both inside and outside the company affects small businesses quicker than larger businesses. Entrepreneurs have to react quickly and effectively to change to take advantage of opportunities and deal with threats. If an entrepreneur isn’t capable of quick action, change can have a negative effect on operations and profitability.

• Entrepreneurs are dedicated to their businesses.

Successful entrepreneurs are very dedicated to their businesses. They have invested so much time, energy, and emotion into their business that they want to be sure that it is successful. They differ from managers in large companies because they are working for themselves rather than working for the shareholders.

If you possess these characteristics, you should have the personality that it takes to be successful in starting your own business.

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RESOURCES – FINANCE

direct CostsDirect costs are costs that can be easily traced to a particular object (also called a cost object), such as a product, the raw materials used to manufacture a product, or the labor associated with the work to produce the product. If your company produces a widget and a production

manager is hired to oversee production of that widget, then the production manager’s salary is a direct cost. If you own a carpet cleaning business, which is a service organization, and you hire workers just to clean carpets, their wages are direct costs.

Direct costs are often, but not always,

variable costs. Variable costs increase as more units of the product are manufactured. As a result, raw materials are variable and direct costs. But, if there is a supervisor overseeing the manufacturing of this particular product, their salary is probably the same regardless of how much of the product is manufactured, so it is a fixed cost.

Pricing your ProductDirect and Indirect CostsPart of the process of pricing your product is including the costs of producing that product. Those costs include the direct and indirect costs associated with producing your product.


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direct Materials and direct LaborThe most common direct costs are direct materials and direct labor. Direct materials are the materials that can be specifically identified with the product. If you are a furniture maker, your direct materials would be the wood that goes into making your furniture along with the nails, varnish, and other products that you apply specifically to making the furniture. But, you wouldn’t count the gasoline that the loggers use to drive the trucks to get to the forest to cut down the trees as direct materials.

A method of tracking the direct cost of materials has to be chosen, generally LIFO or FIFO (LIFO, last-in-first-out and FIFO, first-in-first-out the two most common inventory accounting methods). Direct materials are all the materials required to produce a product such as raw materials. Direct materials costs are assignable to that particular product, such as the cost of each raw material.

Indirect CostsIndirect costs are those which affect the entire company, not just one product. They are costs like advertising, depreciation, general supplies for your firm, accounting services, etc. They are services, and costs, for your entire firm, not just one product. Indirect costs are usually called overhead. Overhead is the ongoing cost of operating a business that can’t be associated with just one product or service.

Indirect costs can be fixed or variable costs. Often, they are fixed costs with an example being the rent you pay on your building. Sometimes, they are variable. An example would be your electricity or water bill which can change monthly.

Indirect Materials and Indirect LaborMaterials such as tools, cleaning supplies, and office supplies make production of a company’s products possible but can’t be assigned to just one product. These are classified as indirect materials or the overhead portion of the material your company uses. Indirect materials costs are usually variable because materials are based on the level of production.

Labor costs that make production of a product or products possible but can’t be assigned to one particular product are classified as indirect costs. An example of an indirect labor cost would be the

salary of a manager as that manager would manage the entire operation and not just one product line. The next issue is whether indirect labor costs are fixed or variable costs. In this case, if the salary is a monthly or annual salary and does not change based on production, it is a fixed cost. If it is based on production, it is a variable cost.

It is important for a business owner to correctly classify direct and indirect costs. One reason is because overhead, your indirect costs, are tax-deductible items. Some of the overhead expenses will be in be included in cost of goods sold, business deductions, inventory, and other categories.

“Indirect costs can be fixed or variable costs. Often, they are fixed costs with an example being the rent you pay on your building. Sometimes, they are variable. An example would be your electricity or water bill which can change monthly.”


RESOURCES – MANAGEMENT

working with external service providers can be an innovative and extremely efficient way to reduce both your costs and overhead tasks and responsibilities, there’re, however, some essential rules that you should consider following in order to rip the benefits of this approach without any nasty surprises.

1. Clearly define the scope and schedule for your project

This might seem obvious, but any successful outsourced project always starts with a clear statement of what you are hoping to accomplish. Define your project requirements up front. Service providers need accurate, complete information to present you with realistic proposals and to

quote you a reasonable price. Be specific about the deliverables you expect the vendor provide. Give vendors as much information as you can about what you need delivered and the way in which you need the work done. Also, be clear and realistic about your schedule requirements - project schedules can have a huge impact on project costs.

Outsourcing 101…Tips for Successful OutsourcingEntrepreneurs and business owners are always looking for creative ways to accomplish more of their business goals for less money. One strategy that can help you save time, money and frustration as you start and build your business is to outsource as much work as possible to skilled, but cost-effective, external service providers.


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2. Evaluate a service provider like you’d hire a full-time employee

When you’re evaluating proposals from service providers, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Just like hiring a full-time employee, selecting a vendor is a very subjective experience. Check their references and ask for feedback from other clients who have used their services. Engage in a dialog – if you have any concerns about a vendor’s specific capabilities, voice your concerns. Don’t just stew about it and hope for the best.

3. Look for specific experience fit Ideally, the service provider you select

will have specific experience with the type of project that you’re undertaking. You don’t want to be somebody’s “guinea pig.” This is especially crucial when outsourcing complex technical projects such as software development. For example, if you’re looking for someone to develop an application for the Palm PDA, make sure they’ve actually completed commercial projects on that platform for other satisfied customers. This advice holds true for other types of projects as well. If you need a business plan for opening a retail store, you’ll get best results if the consultant you hire has verifiable experience in the retail sector.

4. Don’t choose a vendor based solely on price

Though it might be tempting, never select a vendor based solely on price. Experienced buyers who have outsourced many projects and evaluated hundreds of proposals almost always recommend discarding the highest-priced and lowest-priced bid. Buyers report that their most successful projects are the ones where they felt the vendor offered a balance of good value and quality results.

5. Review portfolios and samples Examine the vendor’s previous work

(their “portfolio”) and make sure that their previous work meets your expectations for quality and style. If

you’ve evaluated a vendor’s portfolio, references and previous experience and are still unsure of their capabilities, consider asking them to do a quick mock-up or provide a basic outline of a work plan. A service provider who really wants to win your business might be able to give you a rough concept so you can better understand their approach to solving your problem. But never cross the line between asking for a mock-up and insisting that a vendor provide you with finished work “on spec.” No qualified professional expects to work for free.

6. Start small When engaging with a service provider

for the first time, start with a project that is relatively small and simple in scope. This will give you a better idea of the provider’s style and capabilities before you entrust a “mission critical” project to them.

7. Tie payment to clearly defined project milestones

Just as you should be clear about project scope, make sure that you define a work plan for your outsourced project with clearly defined milestones. Having scheduled checkpoints where you review the status of the project as it works toward completion—is an easy way to ensure that you meet your final deadline and that the final product meets your standards. Tie the vendor’s payment to these milestones. A good guideline for IT and software development projects is to pay no more than 20% to 30% of the total project price up front, with the rest of the payments awarded based on the completion of 3 or 4 milestones.

8. Negotiate ownership of work up front

For any type of outsourced project, make sure that you are clear about who owns the resulting work product and any important components of that product. Make sure the service provider understands how you intend to use the deliverables that they are agreeing to

provide. For example, the development of a custom software application for your personal use would be substantially different from the development an application that you intend to package and re-sell.

9. Don’t forget about support after the project is complete

For technology projects, it’s a good idea to specify a warranty or support clause so that you are assured of some amount of continuing support from the vendor after the project is complete. It’s much easier to negotiate a support clause before the service provider begins work, rather than after the completion of the project. Even creative or business services can benefit from a support clause. Suppose you need some changes to a business plan based on feedback that you get from potential investors. Or maybe you find that you need that snazzy new logo delivered in a new type of file format. Specifying some amount of free support or negotiating discounted prices for future modifications can save you time, money and headaches later on.

10. Get it in writing During the course of a service

engagement, the scope of the project, deliverables or even the agreed upon price may change. Make sure that you clearly communicate any schedule, scope or payment changes to your service provider and get confirmation from them - in writing - that they understand and agree to the changes. Similarly, keep a record of any agreement changes requested by the service provider and whether you accept or reject those modifications. Save copies of any email exchanges that you have.

You can access top-notch expertise any time you need it without the overhead of hiring full-time staff. By staying focused on your core competencies and hiring expert freelancers for your other needs, you can compete with the delivery capabilities of larger organizations while maintaining your independence.


RESOURCES – MANAGEMENT

Advantages and Disadvantages of Incorporating Your Small BusinessThe decision of whether or not to incorporate your small business is one you need to consider when you decide to start a business. Each structure has pros and cons, and the best format will depend on your business, location and specific needs.


ARAB BUSINESS CLUB

Benefits of Forming a Corporation

1. Limited LiabilityLimited personal liability is one of the most common reasons businesses become corporations. A corporation is a distinct legal entity, so incorporating protects the business owner’s personal assets, even if the corporation is in debt or facing other liabilities.

2. Tax BenefitsOwners of corporations are only taxed on their own salary, bonuses and dividend payments. There are also other tax benefits that are available to some corporations, including insurance premium deductions, deferred tax payments and income splitting.

3. Business CredibilityWhen a business has completed the process of becoming incorporated, it can have a favorable impact with investors, making it easier to raise capital. Plus, in some cases, there is a perceived permanency and reputability on the part of clients or customers when a business is a corporation.

4. Stock IncentivesOne of the defining elements of a stock corporation is the stock structure, which gives board members and employees a share in the ownership of the company. This can be an attractive benefit for employees and can lead to higher employee retention rates.

5. Perpetual ExistenceUnlike a sole proprietorship, a corporation continues to exist even if the owner passes away or leaves the business. A corporation will remain in existence until the shareholders take measures to dissolve it, or until the corporation is merged with another business.

6. TransferabilitySince a corporation is not tied to its owner, ownership can be transferred to another by selling stock. This is typically governed by the corporation, which can set limits on the transfer of stock, and the laws of the state where the corporation was formed.

Disadvantages of Incorporation

1. CostThe initial cost of incorporation includes the fee required to file your articles of incorporation, potential attorney or accountant fees, or the cost of using an incorporation service to assist you with completion and filing of the paperwork. There are also ongoing fees for maintaining a corporation.

2. Double TaxationSome types of corporations such as a C Corporation, have the potential to result in “double taxation.” Double taxation occurs when a company is taxed once on profits, and again on the dividends paid to shareholders.

3. Loss of Personal “Ownership”If a corporation is a stock corporation, one person doesn’t retain complete control of the entity. The corporation is governed by a board of directors who are elected by shareholders.

4. Required StructureWhen you form a corporation, you are required to follow all of the rules outlined by the state in which you filed. This includes the management of the corporation, operational requirements and the corporation’s accounting practices.

5. Ongoing PaperworkMost corporations are required to file annual reports on the financial status of the company. Ongoing paperwork also includes tax returns, accounting records, meeting minutes and any required licenses and permits for conducting business.

6. Difficulty DissolvingWhile perpetual existence is a benefit of incorporating, it can also be a disadvantage because it can require significant time and money to complete the necessary procedures for dissolution. By carefully measuring the advantages and disadvantages of forming a corporation, and consulting with an accountant, attorney and/or other financial professional, you can decide if incorporation is right for your small business.


BEST BUSINESS PRACTICE

Cloud Computing has brought about nothing short of a revolution in the SME mar-ketplace. Thanks to the Cloud, the smallest of enterprises is now able to not only hold their own. To date, SMEs and in particular start-ups, have been faced with the age old issues of limited access to business-critical infrastructure, extortionate set-up fees and unattainable accreditation.

Cloud Computing for SMEs Bridging the Gap between Big & Small


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What is Cloud Computing?As a metaphor for the Internet, “the cloud” is a familiar cliché, but when combined with “computing,” the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is “in the cloud,” including conventional outsourcing.

Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT’s existing capabilities.

Let’s say you’re an executive at a large corporation. Your particular responsibilities include making sure that all of your employees have the right hardware and software they need to do their jobs. Buying computers for everyone isn’t enough -- you also have to purchase software or software licenses to give employees the tools they require. Whenever you have a new hire, you have to buy more software or make sure your current software license allows another user. It’s so stressful that you find it difficult to go to sleep on your huge pile of money every night.

With “Cloud Computing” instead of installing a suite of software for each computer, you’d only have to load one application. That application would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for his or her job. Remote machines owned by another company would run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs. In a cloud computing system, there’s a significant workload shift. Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of computers that make up the cloud handles them instead. Hardware and software demands on the user’s side decrease. The only thing

the user’s computer needs to be able to run is the cloud computing system’s interface software, which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud’s network takes care of the rest.

There’s a good chance you’ve already used some form of cloud computing. If you have an e-mail account with a Web-based e-mail service like Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or Gmail, then you’ve had some experience with cloud computing. Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a Web e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn’t exist on your computer -- it’s on the service’s computer cloud.

Cloud Computing to Revolutionize the SME SectorThe prime benefit of the Cloud to an SME is the ability to compete against the larger players by offering the same level of security and service, without having to pay for the initial up-front fees associated with keeping it in-house. Cloud computing; however, can benefit SMEs in many ways, chief among them:• Reduced capital and operational expenses

– Cloud offers tremendous advantages to SMEs in terms of reduced costs, both in terms of capital expenses and ongoing operational expenses (Hardware and software maintenance, administration and upgrades).

• Pay-As-You use -You pay for what you use and at a later date you need more then you can turn up the bandwidth, users and processing power.

• Scalable Storage Options – You can scale organizational storage needs rather than purchase hardware. Also, no worry on paying for future updates in terms of software and hardware. Cloud provider will take care of that.

• Anywhere any time access – Employees can access information wherever they are.

• Easy to implement – You can be running your business in almost as much time as it takes to setup a Gmail account.

• More secure – Cloud provider will secure your data much better than what you could do it yourself and in more cost effective manner.


BEST BUSINESS PRACTICE

• Skilled Vendors – Would you rather allow these guys manage and protect your data – Microsoft, Google, IBM, Yahoo, Sales Force and Amazon or a potentially limited skilled and over paid IT staff?

• Increased availability – Cloud’ computing accomplishes a better response time in most cases than your standard server hardware.

• Level playing field for SMEs – Cloud allows small companies to compete more effectively with some of the larger businesses.

Vital Advices about Moving to the Cloud• Cloud computing is 100 per cent reliant

on an internet connection, so you should always have a plan of what to

do when your main connection fails. A cost effective method for smaller companies is to buy a 3G/4G capable router and pay a small fee per month for a broadband dongle. For larger organizations, always have more than one internet connection.

• Make sure you’re certain that all your company applications and software will work in the new cloud environment. Moving most of your IT into the cloud and then spending thousands on a new onsite server, because one of your applications doesn’t work, is a waste of time, money and effort.

• Most people don’t know that cloud computing can be delivered using several different pieces of technology. These products have different pros and cons but more importantly, different

pricing. SMEs can be more at risk of being talked into paying over the odds for wonderful technology that won’t be used. Make sure you receive clear and understandable advice on what’s best for your organization.

• More often than not, you will be charged per gigabyte of data that you host in the cloud. It is always best to cleanse your data before you migrate. You will probably find data that isn’t needed anymore or can be archived onto different media. As an entrepreneur, you might blur the boundaries between your company and home sometimes, but is your business’s server really the right place for your wedding video?

• Cloud computing becomes a utility similar to your electricity and you pay for what you use. If you have ten users,


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you pay for ten users. Make sure you understand exactly what your tariff consists of. How much are you paying per gigabyte of data? You don’t want any nasty surprises at the month end.

• If your current IT company lets you down, then you can hire another one. It’s not as easy in the cloud. Your provider holds all your data. Make sure you ask them how long it takes for them to respond to any problems and ask if they have an uptime guarantee. It should be 99 per cent. Anything less reliable could be crippling for a small business.

• Six months after you’ve bought a new server for the office and replaced all your PCs isn’t the right time to make a move into the cloud. Consider cloud when your hardware and software are ageing and a refresh is needed.

• Google and Microsoft are big cloud providers; but where is your data being kept? Somewhere in Europe or somewhere in the world is the best answer you’ll get. SMEs might consider opting for a cloud provider who can tell you exactly where your valuable company data is kept and even take you to the data center if needed.

• Cloud computing is a service. Don’t be forced into long contracts. There is absolutely no reason why you should be signing a three or five-year contract with your provider. You should be able to leave freely with a month’s notice.

• Many cloud providers don’t provide IT support. As an SME, there will still inevitably be times when you need help with IT issues like printers or the internet connection in your office. Make sure you try and chose a provider who includes this in your monthly fees.

Is It Time to Move to the Cloud?• Running routine applications such as

email, data or application for SMEs can be better managed by cloud.

• If you are not trying out an application that may benefit your business but prohibitive licensing and management cost if preventing you from adopting, then it is best to consider cloud.

• If there is one off requirement for short duration then obviously it is better to

take service from the cloud.• If certain IT initiative in-house requires

large investment initially it is better to use the cloud.

• If you need to hire a person with specific skill sets at higher cost for managing the new application then it is better to use the cloud.

Final WordsCompanies need to seriously look at the economics of dealing with data on priority. Cloud computing offers long term cost saving measures besides providing flexibility than earlier data handling models.

Cloud also offers opportunity to the SMEs to try out IT applications which traditionally have been the preserve of large business houses and prohibitive licensing cost had deterred the SMEs from trying out.

The other major benefit of cloud is the portability of the application and provides an individual to access application from anywhere anytime. This can be very useful

for SMEs as they typically have fewer people to manage business and absence of an employee can affect the functioning of the organization. Anytime anywhere access can be boon to employees on travel or on long absence from work place. By subscribing to cloud company can free its IT team from performing updates, installing patches or providing application support.

The decision to move to cloud by the SMEs would require push from the owner manger and is a decision worth trying.


MARkET INTELLIGENCE

Dubai-based Rasia Awarded Contract to Build $3bn Armenian Railway, Highway

Egypt Expects Sukuk to Generate $10bn in Revenue

Kuwait Awards Shuaiba North Contract

Dubai-based investment firm, Rasia FZE has signed a tripartite memo-randum of understanding with the South Caucasus Railway and the Ar-menian transport ministry to develop the Southern Armenia Railway. The agreement covers the construction of both a 316km railway linking Gavar, 50km east of Yerevan near Lake Sevar, with the Iranian border near Meghri, and a 110km highway in the southern province of Syunik. The total cost of the two projects is expected to be around $3bn. In 2012 Rasia signed two concession agreements with the Armenian government to develop these projects on a PPP basis. The concessions set deadlines for completing feasibility studies, engineering design, project financing, and construction, and both have an operating term of 30 years with an option for a 20 year extension. Feasibility studies began at the end of December, and Rasia appointed China Communications Construction Co as the lead member of the development consortium for the project.

Egyptian finance minister El-Morsi Hegazy has said the new Islamic bonds (sukuk) law is expected to generate $10bn for the Egyptian government, Ahram has reported. Last week, the cabinet approved a draft law to allow sovereign Islamic bonds as the government searches for new ways to finance an unsustain-able budget deficit. The legislation still needs to be approved by the upper house of parliament.

Kuwait’s Central Tender Committee had issued a letter to the joint venture between Kharafi National of Kuwait and Malay-sia’s Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to operate and maintain the Shuaiba North co-generation (power and distillation) plant in the country, The Star has reported. The dual-fired plant (natu-ral gas and distillate) can produce around 780 MW of power and 45 million gallons per day of distilled water, TNB said.

Ashghal to Launch QR100bn Projects in 5 YearsThe Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is in the process of launching QR100bn worth projects in the next five years. The authority has already started inviting tenders for the key projects from national and international companies.

One of its prestigious projects, the flagship QR10bn strategic Inner Doha Resewerage Implementation Strategy (IDRIS), was un-veiled yesterday before over 600 local and international infrastructure contractors at an event held at Grand Hyatt Hotel.

In September 2012, Ashghal had unveiled 221 projects worth QR50bn. The projects included construction, repair and main-tenance of highway structures; road im-provements in different municipalities, cleaning projects, construction of com-mercial centers and complexes and traffic flow improvement.

Nasser Ghaith Al Kuwari, Manager of Ash-ghal’s Drainage Project Department, said the QR10bn sewerage project is aimed at addressing the country’s drainage problems for the next 50 years. IDRIS is a world class solution developed by Ashghal to upgrade and accommodate the projected popula-tion growth of an additional one million in

Doha’s oldest area - South catchment. The major tunneled interceptor sewer and ad-vanced sewage treatment works scheme will meet the long-term demands of hydrauli-cally overloaded conditions, and remove over 30 existing pump stations.

Scheduled to be implemented over the next seven years, the program is a result of studies, which took a comprehensive and integrated approach, whereby various influences on sewage flow were examined, including projected community growth, the condition of the current drainage system and planned development such as Ashghal’s Doha Expressway Motorway System and Qatar Rail Company’s Metro system.

Divided into three main areas of Qatar, the project comprises a conveyance system consisting of 40km of deep main trunk sew-er and over 70km of lateral interceptor sew-ers; one large and approximately 60m deep terminal pump station; New Doha South

advanced sewage treatment works with an initial capacity of 500 million liters per day and more than 70km of treated sewage ef-fluent return mains and pump station.

On completion, the project will decommis-sion over 30 ageing pump stations in the in-ner city area of Doha and replace them with a single large deep terminal pump station 30km outside Doha.

Due to the significant depth below ground of the tunneling works, IDRIS will utilize sub-surface techniques that will minimize the usual disruption associated with util-ity pipeline work. The only visible signs in the construction of many kilometers of pipeline will be occasional access shafts and work sites.

CH2MHILL has been appointed as the pro-gram management consultancy for the pro-ject to develop and oversee implementation of IDRIS.

ARAB BUSINESS CLUB



Saudi Cement & Steel Demand to Rise Sharply on Huge Spending

Demand for cement and steel in Saudi Arabia are expected to witness tremendous growth on the back of huge spending in the fast growing real estate and construction industry, separate studies revealed.

The demand for cement is expected to increase 9.4 percent a year to over 80 mil-lion tons (73 million tons) by 2017, a new report by market research company CW Group revealed. An increase in large-scale infrastructure projects is seen as being be-hind the surge in demand.

In a new study, RNCOS forecast that with the huge spending on the construc-tion of real estate and railways in the King-dom, the steel consumption in is anticipat-ed to grow at an impressive 19.5 percent during 2012-2015.

According to its report “KSA Steel In-dustry Forecast 2015”, Saudi Arabia has become one of the largest steel consumers in the GCC region due to increasing steel demand for infrastructure and construc-tion projects. Rebar is among the most at-tractive steel products in the Saudi Arabia steel industry and accounts for a bulk of steel consumption due to a large number of construction projects. In addition, the rising rebar demand has made the country a major rebar importer.

The Kingdom’s Ninth Development Plan 2010-2014 includes provisions for massive governmental investments, driving con-struction’s share of GDP to an estimated 5.9 percent by the end of 2014.

However, the report cautions “a unique set of coinciding mega-forces have con-verged to create this benign scenario, which may not be sustainable, from Arab Spring-motivated investments, industrial policy, unique ownership arrangements, energy subsidies, etc.”

In a separate report, AlJazira Capital said Saudi Arabia’s domestic cement consump-tion is forecast to increase at a CAGR of 8.0 percent during 2010-15, and reach 60.6 million tons in 2015 amid higher construc-tion activity and positive GDP outlook.

CW Group said in 2005, cement de-mand in Saudi Arabia was less than 25 mil-lion tons (23 million tons). Since then the market has seen double-digit growth, tak-ing it to 53 million tons (48 million tons) in 2012.

“Admittedly, our 2017 demand number

is aggressive, but the government’s resolu-tion to spend its way to social harmony in the Kingdom is proven and should not be underestimated. We expect more projects to be announced together with expansion of existing projects,” CW Group said.

More than 25 million tons (23 million tons) of new cement production capacity has been announced to be commissioned by the end of 2017 with the bulk of the pro-duction lines scheduled to come on stream in 2014 and 2015. CW Group said Yama-ma Cement and Eastern Province Cement have announced the most ambitious pro-jects, each planning to add 3.5 million tons (3.2 million tons) per year.

A surge in cement prices has prompted price caps and the Saudi Ministry of Com-merce has reinstated an export ban for both cement and clinker.

CW Group noted that “Saudi Arabia will be the contender in the region and be a very strong competitor for regional export markets if it develops the logistics, market-ing and distribution capabilities.”

MARkET INTELLIGENCE


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ABC Latest Member List

MEMBERS’ LIST

NAME COMPANY DESIGNATION LOCATION INDUSTRY

Dr. Rashid Obaid Alleem Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority Director General U.A.E. Government

Humaid A. Al Khatri Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority Commercial Director U.A.E. Government

Raed A. Bukhatir Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority Management U.A.E. Government

Mohammed Salem Al Mahmoud

Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority Management U.A.E. Government

Wafa Salim Balaswad Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority Management U.A.E. Government

Mohammed S. Duba Himgrash International Nigeria Limited Managing Director/CEO Nigeria Power, Energy, Manufacturing

Ahmad Al Qaseer Sharjah Investment & Development Authority(Shurooq)

Director of Property Management U.A.E. Investment

Saud Al Swaidi Sharjah Investment & Development Authority(Shurooq)

Director of Corporate Services U.A.E. Investment

Elie Armaly Sharjah Investment & Development Authority(Shurooq)

Director of Business Development U.A.E. Investment

Mohammad Al Musharrakh

Sharjah Investment & Development Authority(Shurooq) Management U.A.E. Investment

Mikael Djurovic LOGIS Group Chairman France Transport

Philippe Cormier Outils Coupants Hardmetal - Sicadur Chairman France Mechanical / Industrial Engineering

Catherine Strasser Orient Communication Founder & General Manager France Marketing & Advertising



In a glanceArab Business Club is an international business platform built for the World’s business elites; particularly those who are interested in building trustworthy and beneficial business relationswith the Arab World. We break through the barriers of culture, Geography and language and bring together elite Businessmen and women, investors, C-level management personnel and decision makersenabling fruitful business ties to be forged quickly and efficiently.

ABC Latest Member List

• Arab Business Club was established since August 2008.

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• Promoting investment opportunities worldwide.

• Promoting our members’ services, products and investments.

• Business & investment matchmaking through our wide connections and regular events.

• Facilitating relations and communication with Arab governments and authorities. Bringing together investors and

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• Hosting and organizing exclusive and trend-setting business and networking events.

• Leading and supporting investors & business delegations to/from the Arab World.

• Supporting business setup and establishment in the region through providing advice, feasibility studies, consultancy,

local partnerships and helping with licensing process.

• Providing Legal support and advice to our members.

• Hosting and organizing specialized events: Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Tourism, etc.a

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ALGIERS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Chambre de Commerce Palais Consulaire B.P. 100 - Alger Ier Novembre 6, Bd Amilcar Cabral, Bab-El Oued. Algiers, Algeria Phone: (213) 2-574444 Fax: (213) 2-629991

BAHRAIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY PO Box 248, King Faisal Highway Manama, Bahrain Phone: (973) 229 555 Fax: (973) 224 985

DJIBOUTI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Place de LaGuarde PO Box 84 Djibouti, Djibouti

FEDERATION OF EGYPTIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE 4, Midan El Falaki Street Cairo, Egypt Phone: (202) 3551164 Fax: (202) 3557940

FEDERATION OF IRAQI CHAMBERSOF COMMERCE P.O. Box 11348 Mustansir Street Baghdad , Iraq Phone: (964) 1-8888850 Fax: (964)1-8882305 FEDERATION OF JORDANIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE PO Box 7029 Amman, Jordan Phone: (962) 6-665492/674-495 Fax: (962) 6-685997

KUWAITI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY Chamber’s Building Ali Al Salem Street. PO Box 775 13800 Safat, 13091 Kuwait Phone: (965) 2439155/2468934 Fax: (965) 2452080

BEIRUT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY PO Box 11801, Samayah 2100, Justinian Street Beirut, Lebanon Phone: (961) 1-353390 Fax: (961) 1-866802

GENERAL UNION OF ARABCHAMBERS OF COMMERCE,INDUSTRY & AGRICULTURE P.O. Box 2837-11 Beirut, Lebanon Phone: (961) 1-814269

FEDERATION OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY & AGRICULTURE P.O. Box 2321 Tripoli, Libya Phone: (218) 21-33755

MAURITANIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY PO Box 215 Avenue de la Republique Mauritania, Mauritania Phone: (222) 2-52214 Fax: (222) 2-53895

FEDERATION OF MOROCCAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE 6 Rue Erfoud PO Box 218 Rabat, Morocco Phone: (212) 7-767051 Fax: (212) 7-767076

OMAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY PO Box 4400 Ruwi, Muscat, Oman Phone: (968) 707674/684/694 Fax: (968) 708497

QATAR CHAMBER OFCOMMERCE & INDUSTRY PO Box 402 Doha, Qatar Phone: (974) 324347/326366 Fax: (974) 324338

COUNCIL OF SAUDI CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY PO Box 16683, Riyadh, 11474 Saudi Arabia Phone: (966) 1-4053200 Fax: (966) 1 4024747

MOGADISHU CHAMBEROF COMMERCEINDUSTRY & AGRICULTURE P.O.Box 27 Via Asha Mogadishu Somalia Phone: (252) 3209

SUDAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PO Box 1701 Khartoum, Sudan Tel: 249-1172345

FEDERATION OF SYRIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE Damascus - Mousa Ben Nousair St. P.O. Box 5909 Phone No. 0096311 3311504 / 3337344 Fax No. 0096311 3331127

TUNISIAN UNION OF INDUSTRY, COMMERCE & HANDICRAFTS 103 Avenue De La Liberte Tunis, Tunisia Phone: (216) 1-780366 Fax: (216) 1-782143

FEDERATION OF THE U.A.E CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY. PO Box 3014, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Phone: (971) 2-214144 Fax: (971) 2- 339210

FEDERATION OF YEMEN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRYPO box 16990, Hasaba, Airport Road Sana’a Phone: (967) 1-223539 Fax: (967) 1-251551


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