About the MENA-OECD Investment Programme

The key objective of the Investment Programme is to mobilise investment —foreign, regional and domestic— as a driving force for economic growth and employment throughout the Middle East and North Africa region. The Investment Programme supports reform efforts of MENA governments to enhance the investment climate by:

• Strengthening country capacity for designing, implementing and monitoring investment policy reforms
• Creating a network for policy dialogue among investment policy makers from MENA and OECD countries
• Creating a favourable environment for employment creation through financial sector development – towards an entrepreneurship culture
• Improving intra-governmental policy co ordination and co operation between ministries
• Reinforcing the impact of development initiatives supported by international, regional and bilateral funds

Regional Action

The Investment Programme offers a forum for results-oriented policy dialogue among MENA and OECD practitioners. This innovative partnership will serve to share know-how on best practices and lessons learned in implementing investment reforms.

Building on the OECD model of peer review, policy experts will closely work together to design innovative solutions, tailored to the specific policy environments of each MENA country.

The Regional dialogue is structured around five comprehensive investment reform areas which have been identified by MENA countries. Each reform area is implemented by a Regional Working Group, led by a MENA country and co-chaired by a member country of the OECD:

• Transparent and open investment policies (Jordan)
• Encouraging Investment Promotion Agencies and business associations to act as driving forces for economic reform (UAE)
• Providing a tax framework for investment and assessing incentives (Egypt)
• Promoting policies for financial sector and enterprise development in support of diversification (Saudi Arabia)
• Corporate governance (Lebanon)

Egypt is currently acting as the regional chair of the MENA-OECD Investment Programme.

National Action

MENA countries are elaborating National Investment Reform Agendas under the MENA-OECD Investment Programme. These Reform Agendas include concrete investment policy reform measures aiming at improving the country’s investment environment. They define reform targets in each of the policy areas covered by the Programme. Country Teams are implementing these reforms and participating in the Working Groups.

A number of countries (Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestinian National Authority, Oman, and Bahrain) have already completed this process and workshops to discuss their investment reform targets will be held in the coming months.