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Alan Camilleri, chairman of Malta Enterprise, is in no doubt about the challenges the country faces when it comes to attracting inward investment and the importance of overseas marketing.
“Obviously being small, we have to punch somewhat above our weight,” he says. “But the more we speak about Malta the more people discover the value proposition.”
The number of long-term investors on the island suggests this strategy has been successful. Swedish industrial group Trelleborg has been in the country for more than 50 years, for example, and German company PlayMobil first set up there in 1971.
“There are long-standing international investors in Malta,” says Tonio Fenech, Minister of Finance. “They don’t just come for five years and then move out. When you ask them why, they tell you they can’t find the quality of people elsewhere.”
These days the government is focusing on a number of pillars on which to build Malta’s economic future, including manufacturing, financial services, ICT, tourism and the maritime sector.
The main sources of FDI in the past have traditionally been other European countries, such as Germany, Italy and the UK, helped by efforts such as the Thincmalta marketing campaign in the UK. That ad campaign is unusual in being a general branding exercise; usually the country focuses on particular sectors. Meanwhile, there is now also a concerted push to target new parts of the world, with more commercial attachés being appointed.
“There’s a renewed effort to invigorate our message across the world to put Malta forward as a business location,” says Camilleri. “Hopefully, now that we’re spreading our wings and putting our presence into new markets, we will also see roots being established in Russia, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.”
The type of jobs the country is trying to attract is also evolving. “We need to keep climbing up the value chain,” says Camilleri. “We’re no longer a country of cheap labour and neither do we want to be.”
While the challenge is unlikely to dim in the years ahead, at least the country has a strong base from which to work.
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At the forefront of economic growth
 Appointed by the government in May 2008, Alan Camilleri is in charge of attracting international investment to Malta. He is now in his second two-year term in the job.
“It’s a unique position where you feel you are a contributor to economic growth and performance,” he says. “My role is more one where I try to facilitate as much as I can. With this job you’re at the forefront of making all the deals.” Camilleri’s vision includes developing Malta’s ICT industry and investment in research and development to boost what he believes is strong potential.
“Our economy survives on the ability to attract foreign investment to Malta and help indigenous companies grow and internationalise,” he says. “I truly believe Malta has potential and can really deliver.”
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