The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) was delighted to support the 3^rd Economic Conference in Erbil on 9-10 October 2016, which was organised by the Kurdish Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KFCCI) in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Erbil Chamber of Commerce. The theme of the conference was ‘The Role of the Private Sector in Kurdistan’s Economic Development’. The diversification of Kurdistan’s economy away from oil and gas was another key focus of the conference.

Dr Dara Jalil Al Khayat, President of KFCCI and an IBBC founding member, opened the conference, which was held at Saad’s Palace and attended by more than 400 delegates. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani gave the keynote address, and several of his ministerial colleagues spoke on various panels held throughout the two-day event.

A number of IBBC members attended the conference. They were joined by IBBC’s Managing Director Christophe Michels and Eng. Rasmi Al-Jabri, who serves as the organisation’s Deputy Chairman and Iraq Representative. IBBC Executive Committee Member Hadi Nezir of UB Holding was one of the principal conference sponsors.

A gala dinner held at the Rotana Hotel followed the first day of the conference. The remarkable achievements of the Erbil Chamber of Commerce since its foundation 50 years ago were celebrated at the dinner with live music and the screening of a short feature about the Chamber, Erbil and the wider Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Over the two days, the IBBC delegation met with various ministers, MPs and officials from both the Kurdish Regional Government, the Government of Iraq, the US Consulate and the Austrian Consular Service. Among the people they met were KRG Foreign Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr Yousif Goran, Deputy Chairman of the National Investment Commission Dr Salar Ameen, and Member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives Dr Mehdi Al Hafidh.