Gulf, France Forge Innovation Pact
TDT| Manama
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com
France and the Gulf countries are entering a new phase of strategic cooperation, one driven by shared innovation, co-production, and human capital, recasting decades-old trade relationships into bold, future-focused economic partnerships.
That was the message coming out of Vision Golfe 2025, a high-level forum held at the French Ministry of Economy in Paris, where over 1,200 participants, including 550 Gulf delegates and five ministers, took part in two days of deals, roundtables, and sector-led dialogue on energy, AI, health, and education.
From trade to transformation
Once defined by oil flows and exports, the France-GCC economic dynamic is now pivoting to deeper collaboration in industrial strategy, digital health, and talent development. France’s 17,000 exporters and 2,000 subsidiaries in the Gulf have laid the foundation for a new joint economic playbook.
French Minister of Economy Éric Lombard described the moment as “strategic, human, and forward-looking,” adding, “I believe our countries can serve each other as platforms to access new markets, especially in a context marked by tension and uncertainty.”
AI, education, and health
From artificial intelligence and clean energy to digital medicine and workforce reform, the forum highlighted sectoral convergence. New collaborations such as the École Polytechnique–MBZUAI partnership underscored a growing French role in building the region’s knowledge economy.
Gulf representatives, including Qatar’s H.E. Ahmad AlSayed and Saudi Arabia’s H.E. Dr Nouf Alnumair, framed the shift as a strategic investment in resilience, well-being, and innovation capacity. “France has long been a leader in public health,” said Alnumair, “and Saudi Arabia brings scale and integration to transform care into an engine for growth.”
Platform for shared value
Organised by Business France, Vision Golfe 2025 hosted 10 sectoral roundtables, 80 speakers, and more than 2,000 formal and informal meetings. Ministers, CEOs, and technocrats aligned on building co-investment platforms that merge France’s industrial strength with Gulf transformation agendas.
From inclusive sports initiatives to smart city development and climate adaptation, the event showed how France and the GCC are moving from transaction to transformation, rewriting their economic terms for a world that demands both resilience and reinvention.
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