Malta woos Indian IT investors

Bangalore, Oct 31 (UNI) The Republic of Malta today welcomed Indian investors in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to set up units in the country, the gateway to the European Union and Africa.

The island nation, the smallest member of the EU with a population of just four lakh people, was the best place to set up IT firms as it offered most conducive atmosphere to run the high tech industries. The other advantages were English speaking people, friendly Government which offered many sops to foreign investors and a low crime rate, Ms Sangeeta Dua E Sullivan, Director of Sullivan Mediterranean Group which invited Indian companies on behalf of the Malta Government, said today.

Speaking to mediapersons at IT exposition 'Bangalore IT.in', she said Malta, which mainly depended on trade, had a highly educated population and was just 40 minutes by air to both Libya and Rome while it took about two hours to Frankfurt.

''We held discussions with officials of Wipro, Karnataka IT Secretary M N Vidyashankar and STPI Director B V Naidu. The response was good. Malta is a happening place in the new century and has seen a flurry of activity with foreign companies coming to the island nation. IBM and Microsoft have begun construction of their Malta units, while Dubai Internet City is setting up 'Smart City Malta' in the island at a cost of ten million Euros to set up units for value adds for its clients,'' Ms Sullivan said.

Malta had been ranked 19th out of 102 countries by the World Economic Forum for its high growth competitiveness potential.

Excellent telecommunication network, committed work force, good salary and conducive trade practices were the main reasons for IT investors to select Malta as their destination, she added.

UNI RS GD GM1810