Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu recently returned to India from the picturesque town of Davos wherein he was seen tirelessly pitching the sunrise state of Andhra Pradesh to world leaders as an ideal destination for business and investments.
From meeting top corporate honchos like Arcelor Mittal’s Mr Lakshmi Mittal to heads of global giants like Pepsi, Unilever, DP world, Petronas, Google etc. to meeting the legendary software mogul Mr Bill Gates Mr Naidu laid out the red carpet and invited them to come and invest in AP.
The world economic forum (WEF) held at Davos is an annual meeting which brings together global leaders from business, politics, academia, and civil society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.
The AP delegation was led by the chief minister himself and included the state’s IT and HRD minister Mr Nara Lokesh, Industries minister Mr TG Bharath and a slew of young bureaucrats i.e. Mr Yuvraj, IAS, Mr Kartikeya Misra, IAS, Mr Abhishikth Kishore, IAS VC&MD APIIC, Mr Saikant Verma, IAS, CEO AP economic development board.
Mr Naidu along with Mr Lokesh participated in eclectic meetings and discussions ranging from green energy to Deep tech to Skill development & Education to Sustainable farming, adoption of EV etc.
Strengthening India-Switzerland Ties
The chief minister had his first meeting at the Hilton Hotel, Zurich, with Mr. Mridul Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Switzerland and discussed avenues to attract Swiss investments into Andhra Pradesh.
Highlighting that over 350 Swiss companies, including Nestlé, ABB, and Novartis, are already operating in India, the ambassador noted Switzerland’s growing interest in Indian markets.
The Chief Minister emphasised Andhra Pradesh’s unique strengths in sectors like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, technical textiles, and rail components manufacturing. He proposed collaborations between Swiss universities and Andhra Pradesh’s upcoming Skill and AI universities, fostering innovation and workforce development.
Exclusive Interactions with Swiss Business Leaders
Mr. Kumar also facilitated a meeting between CM Naidu and top executives from four leading Swiss companies including Raoul Keller, Secretary General, Swissmem, Markus Tacke, CEO, Oerlikon, Erich Schmid, CEO, Angst + Pfister and Jörn van der Krone, Head of Economics and External Affairs, Swiss Textiles.
The discussions centered on investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh, focusing on leveraging the state’s skilled workforce, business-friendly policies, and infrastructural advantages.
Some of the key opportunities Mr Naidu presented to them included establishing advanced research and development centres, collaborations for innovation hubs and incubators, Joint ventures in advanced manufacturing sectors like aerospace, automotive, and energy, Expanding contract manufacturing and skill development in textiles etc.
The CEO chief minister also addressed a special session of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) on Green Industrialization and highlighted his administration’s ambitious plans to transform the state into a global hub for green energy and green hydrogen, setting a precedent for sustainable development and energy reforms.
He said that under his leadership, Andhra Pradesh has witnessed significant advancements in solar and wind energy, reducing energy costs. “Scaling and innovation are the keys to success,” emphasised the CM.
Highlighting some of the key initiatives he cited a massive $115 billion investment in the fuel sector to produce 500 MW of renewable energy and 500 million metric tons (MMT) of green energy by 2030, contributing 30% to the national target.
Speaking of Vision Swarnandhra 2047 the Chief Minister outlined ten guiding principles focusing on cost optimization, environmental balance, and positioning Andhra Pradesh as a leader in the global green hydrogen and fuel markets. “With our well-equipped ports like Kakinada, we are poised to export green energy products to the world,” he noted.
Meeting Bill Gates
In his meeting with Mr Bill Gates, they discussed opportunities to collaborate on health, AI, and innovation and extended an invitation to Mr Gates to join the advisory board of the proposed AI University in Amaravati.
On his arrival at Davos Mr Naidu also interacted with the Telugu diaspora in Zurich where he was given a rousing welcome.