AFA Press partner publishes on Kurdistan Region

What can you find in Kurdistan Region? Who are the main economic decision makers in the area? Which are their main industries and growth prospectus? These questions, and many others, have been answered by Upper Reach (AFA Press partner agency) in a special report on Kurdistan Region published in The Times on Tuesday, January 15, 2013. The agency had a team on-site for a considerable period, enough to understand the key factors and forces in the region, thanks to their investigations and interviews with some of the most powerful characters on the economic area of the country. All these pieces of information can also be read at Wordfolio.

Now-a-days the main propeller of the region’s economy is Oil. Keeping oil as a key sector, the aim in the area is to diversify, in order not to depend so much on oil and generate a balanced development. As a matter of fact, the Government’s Regional Development Strategy for the 2012-2016 period is focused on developing housing construction, agriculture and tourism. On the same hand, this plan expects to generate an 8% annual average GDP growth. This prospectus follows the path already taken by Kurdistan, region that enjoyed a 12% (expected) growth during 2012.

Data shows the change is already taking place. For example, 20.6% of Kurdistan’s GDP is represented by housing and real estate. On the same hand, 19.3% is covered by tourism, while trade represents 14.5% and agriculture reaches 6.8%. These figures have been delivered by the Kurdistan Board of Investment.

AFA Press partners Universal News analyzes Sri Lanka's economic plans

As published in Foreign Policy on Tuesday, March 6, 2012, Universal News, one of the different AFA Press partner agencies working around the globe, produced and special report on Sri Lanka. This report is the conclusion of a thorough investigation on site, made by one of Universal News teams who travelled to the country in order to gather first hand information, make interviews to the most relevant and interesting personalities both in the political and business areas. This country report can also be read on line at Worldfolio.com.

Sri Lanka, a country of 21 million inhabitants, has recently entered the club of the mid-range income per capita countries. Data on 2009 reflected an income per capita of 2,053 dollars, almost doubling the average of 2004, 1,063 dollars. The next milestone established by the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa [link], who reached the maximum authority on the country in 2005, is to reach an income per capita of over 4,000 million dollars by 2016, which would mean doubling the current numbers and arriving to the high income countries club as a full right member.

This aim was reflected in the Presidential Election Manifesto 2010. Achieving this landmark implies a need to raise the country’s investment ratio up to the 40% of its Gross Domestic Product, which is currently established on a 25%. At the same time, the country needs to keep its real GDP growth in a yearly 8-to-10 percent range.