The Invest Kerala Global Investors Summit (IKGS), a two-day event expected to shape the state's industrial future, begins tomorrow at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre in Kochi. With around 3,000 delegates in attendance, the summit aims to explore investment opportunities across multiple sectors.
Industries Minister P. Rajeev has stated that the actual investment commitments secured at the event will be known by Saturday evening, the final day of the summit. With the state assembly elections due before May next year, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government is hosting the summit with high hopes of boosting industrial growth and employment opportunities.
The inaugural session, scheduled between 10 am and 11.30 am on Friday, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Industries Minister P. Rajeev will preside over the session, which will also feature virtual addresses from Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister for Industry and Commerce Piyush Goyal. Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary is also expected to attend.
Among the international guests, UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri and Bahrain Minister of Industry and Commerce Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro will be present. Business leaders including Lulu Group Chairman M.A. Yusuff Ali, CII President and ITC Chairman Sanjiv Puri, and Adani Ports managing director Karan Adani are lined up for special addresses. Leader of the opposition V.D. Satheesan will also be participating.
Chief Secretary Saradha Muraleedharan will deliver the welcome speech, while principal secretary, Industries Department, APM Mohammed Haneesh will give the vote of thanks.
Following the inaugural session, a plenary discussion on the theme ‘A Small World of Big Opportunities’ will take place at 11.45 am, featuring prominent speakers including G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. Across two days, the summit will host 28 sectoral discussions with insights from around 200 industry leaders and experts.
A key discussion on Kerala’s economic trajectory will take place at 3.30 pm on Friday. The state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has reportedly grown from Rs 77,000 crore in 2000 to Rs 11 lakh crore in 2024. If this trend continues, the GSDP is projected to reach Rs 88 lakh crore (approximately $1 trillion) by 2047.
Speakers for this session include KSIDC Chairman C. Balagopal, IBS Group Founder V.K. Mathews, Group Meeran Chairman Nawaz Meeran, RP Group Chairman Ravi Pillai, Lulu Financial Holdings CEO Adeeb Ahamed, Invest India Senior Vice President Siddharth Narayanan, and ET Group Executive Editor Sruthijith K.K.
A panel discussion on the value-added plantation sector, particularly rubber, will begin at 4.45 pm on Friday. Speakers include Kerala Rubber Limited Chairperson Sheela Thomas, Rubber Board Executive Director M. Vasanthageshan, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association D G Rajeev Budhraja, and Simmco Foam Executive Director Vinod Simon, among others.
A session on shipbuilding, also at 3.30 pm on Friday, will feature speakers such as Kai Bogen, CEO of Eltroque (Norway), Arjun Ashok Chowgule, Executive Director of Chowgule and Company, Dr. Harikrishnan, Executive Director of Cochin Shipyard, and Sandith Thandassery, Founder of Navalt Solar Electric Boats.
On Saturday at 10 am, a session focusing on Kerala’s IT potential will take place, featuring IBS Founder V.K. Mathews, EY Digital Transformation India Lead Richard Antony, Blackstone Senior MD Mukesh Mehta, Suntech Founder Nandakumar, WNS Chief Strategy Officer Srinivas Rao, and State IT Secretary Dr. Ratan U Kelkar.
The summit will conclude on Saturday, with a closing session scheduled from 3 pm to 4.30 pm.