Locations

Fort Worth, TX

Major companies based in Fort Worth include American Airlines Group (and subsidiaries American Airlines and Envoy), the John Peter Smith Hospital, Pier 1 Imports, RadioShack, the BNSF Railway, Gallus Cycles, and Lockheed Martin. Fort Worth-Arlington is ranked No. 15 on Forbes’ list of the Best Places for Business and Careers. Tourism is an important contributor to the local economy. Items and goods produced: aircraft, communication equipment, electronic equipment, machinery, refrigeration equipment, containers, clothing, food products, pharmaceuticals, computers, clothing, grain and leather.

Frankfurt, Germany

With a landmass that stretches from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the north to the Alps in the south, Germany has the largest population of any EU country. Germany borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France and Luxembourg to the southwest, and Belgium and the Netherlands to the northwest. The most important sectors of Germany’s economy in 2014 were industry (25.9 %), public administration, defense, education, human health and social work activities (18.2 %) and wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food service activities (15.5 %). Germany’s main export partners are France, the US and the UK while its main import partners are the Netherlands, France and China. Germany was a founding member of the European Union in 1993. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999. Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. Frankfurt is the most international city in Germany, the largest financial center on the continent, the historical city of coronations, the city of Goethe and the Frankfurt School. Almost one in three of the people living in Frankfurt do not hold a German passport. No matter where visitors come from, they will always meet people in Frankfurt who speak their language and a restaurant that serves their favorite food. The open and hospitable atmosphere in Frankfurt stems from its centuries-old role as a trading center. This liberal and democratic tradition of the city may be one reason for the fact that people from very diverse cultures have lived here in peace with one another for a long time.

Gaithersburg, MD

Gaithersburg has grown at a rapid rate over the past several decades. What was once a small farming town of barely 1,000 has turned into a thriving city of 66,000. The city is bursting with human potential. Over half of the population has at least a college degree and around 31,000 people work in innovative fields like software engineering, medical science, and biochemistry. The economy has been remarkably stable even after the difficulties of the past few years. From 2010 to 2014, there were only four significant layoffs by companies in the city. It is the people who call Gaithersburg their home who will continue to make the city an attractive place for commerce in the future. The biotechnology industry is anticipated to be one of the most prosperous commercial areas of the future. The global markets for healthcare and bio-energy are expected to grow into the trillions. Gaithersburg is well situated to prosper off of biotech’s future. The regulatory agencies in the city have no reason to leave anytime soon. As long as they remain, Gaithersburg will attract companies wishing to establish close connections with regulatory officials within the city and the Washington area at large. Gaithersburg will look especially attractive to businesses due to its lower cost of living compared to other Washington satellite cities. In particular, real estate in Gaithersburg is much less expensive than it is in cities like Fairfax and Reston. In 2013, the average home sale in Gaithersburg was priced at $340,200, whereas in Montgomery County, the average home was sold at $415,800. Perhaps most important of all is that Gaithersburg will continue to attract talented people working in the STEM fields. By 2030, it is forecast to become the largest city in Montgomery County with approximately 84,600 citizens. Its job market is expected to continue to grow along with the city. Over the next 10 years, the labor market is forecast to expand by 35%. It will not be an unsustainable boom town that loses talent to other, larger markets. The high quality jobs, stable economy, and steady labor force growth ensure that. But Gaithersburg is much more than a giant business park. It is a strong community that prides itself on its diversity. In fact, some say that it is the most diverse city in the nation. New residential developments in the city are increasingly emphasizing walkability by locating themselves adjacent to restaurants and shops. By doing this, developers are catering to a younger crowd that prefers city living over suburbia. The strengths are there for Gaithersburg to continue attracting talent to fuel its burgeoning biotech sector. The city’s most prosperous days are likely still to come.

Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva’s economy is mainly services oriented. The city has an important and old finance sector, which is specialized in private banking (managing assets of about 1 trillion USD) and financing of international trade. Geneva hosts the international headquarters of companies like JT International (JTI), Mediterranean Shipping Company, Vitol, Gunvor, Merck Serono, SITA, Société Générale de Surveillance, ST Microelectronics and Weatherford International. Many other multinational companies like Caterpillar, DuPont, and Cargill have their international headquarters in the city; Geneva LakeTake Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, INVISTA, Procter & Gamble and Oracle Corporation have their European headquarters in the city. Hewlett Packard has its Europe, Africa, and Middle East headquarters in Meyrin, near Geneva. PrivatAir has its headquarters in Meyrin, near Geneva.

There is a long tradition of watchmaking (Baume et Mercier, Charriol, Chopard, Franck Muller, Patek Philippe, Gallet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Rolex, Universal Genève, Raymond Weil, Omega, Vacheron Constantin, Frédérique Constant, etc.). Two major international producers of flavours and fragrances, Firmenich and Givaudan, have their headquarters and main production facilities in Geneva. The private sector is organized in different Union of employers, including the Fédération des Entreprises Romandes Genève (FER Genève) and the Fédération des métiers du bâtiment (FMB). Geneva is ranked as the fourth most expensive city in the world. Geneva moved up four places from eighth place the previous year. Geneva is ranked behind Tokyo, Osaka, and Moscow at first, second, and third respectively. Geneva also beat Hong Kong, which came in at fifth place.

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Glasgow’s development was built on it being a market town, where leather production and wool were its foundations. Being coastal there was naturally commerce in fish, but linen and cotton spinning became increasing important. Glasgow has thrived since it was named European City of Culture in 1990; it has good art collections, restaurants, is home to the Scottish Ballet, Opera and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. It has two excellent universities, both of which have very high research involvement. Glasgow is the UK’s fourth largest City with 1.7 million people in the greater Glasgow area. It is in the top 30 largest cities in Europe. The work force is well educated, being second to London in the UK for level of graduates employed. The city has diversified industries, with a few sectors being significant; low carbon, financial and business services, life sciences, engineering, energy (particularly renewables) and education. Being a gateway to the highlights of Scotland tourism is important. 80% of the Whisky bottling for Scotland takes place in Glasgow. The future of Glasgow, more than many other UK cities, is troubled by uncertainties over Brexit. This is due to the high dependency on EU funding for the Universities, with many EU students there, and for research projects. Despite this the life sciences industry, hosting the Glasgow Bio-Corridor, and funded partially from GSK (a US company) should allow for continued growth and development. The Financial and Business services sector should also allow the city to continue growth. Today the city is 74th in the world ranking of financial centres; the sector employs 52,000 in large banks and institutions. This makes the private sector in Glasgow amongst the fastest growing in the UK. With a strong history in Engineering, and hosting many important engineering companies, (with around 10,000 professional engineers working in the City), supported by Universities with a strong engineering emphasis, there is no reason why Glasgow should not continue its growth based on a diverse but strong economy. The supply of talented staff can only be of benefit to the future. It is for the business leaders of the city to take these opportunities, and overcome the uncertainties that Brexit may have caused.

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

The economy of the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean, is mainly fueled by the tourism sector and the financial services sector, together representing 70-80 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The Cayman Islands Investment Bureau, a government agency, has been established with the mandate of promoting investment and economic development in the territory. The emergence of what are now considered the Cayman Islands’ “twin pillars of economic development” (tourism and international finance) started in the 1950s with the introduction of modern transportation and telecommunications.

The Cayman Islands are now the fifth-largest banking center in the world, with $1.5 trillion in banking liabilities. There are 279 banks, 19 of which are licensed to conduct banking activities with domestic (Cayman-based) and international clients, the remaining 260 are licensed to operate on an international basis with only limited domestic activity. Financial services generate CI$1.2 billion of GDP (55% of the total economy), 36% of all employment and 40% of all government revenue. The country ranks fifth internationally in terms of value of liabilities booked in the Cayman Islands and sixth in terms of assets booked. It has branches of 40 of the world’s 50 largest banks.

The Cayman Islands are the second largest captive domicile in the world with more than 700 captives, writing more than US$7.7 billion of premiums and with US$36.8 billion of assets under management. There are a number of service providers. These include global financial institutions including HSBC, Deutsche Bank, UBS, and Goldman Sachs; over 80 administrators, leading accountancy practices (incl. the Big Four auditors), and offshore law practices including Maples & Calder. They also include wealth management such as Rothschilds private banking and financial advice. Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world.

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro, located in Guilford, County, North Carolina, the State’s third largest city and a part of the Piedmont (Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point) Metropolitan area. It has a population of about 300,000 people. Greensboro’s Growth Domestic Product (GDP) in fiscal year 2013 was close to $40 billion out of the state’s combined metro GDP that was closer to $410 billion. Some of the market leading companies in Greensboro are Honda Aircraft, Volvo Trucks, International Textile Group, and Lincoln Financial. Greensboro’s Key Location Objectives (KLO), are in textiles, tobacco, and furniture. People travel from all around the world to purchase these types of commodities from manufacturers in Greensboro. Greensboro. Greensboro is also an educational, and medical research facility home to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T University. There is strong growth in trade and transportation, professional business, manufacturing, education and healthcare sectors of the Greensboro marketplace.

Hartford, CT

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford’s population was 124,775, making it Connecticut’s third-largest city after the coastal cities of Bridgeport and New Haven. Census Bureau estimates since then have indicated Hartford’s fall to fourth place statewide, as a result of sustained population growth in the coastal city of Stamford. Hartford is nicknamed the “Insurance Capital of the World”, as it hosts many insurance company headquarters and insurance is the region’s major industry. The city was founded in 1635 and is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the nation’s oldest public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), the oldest publicly funded park (Bushnell Park), the oldest continuously published newspaper (The Hartford Courant), and the second-oldest secondary school (Hartford Public High School). It also is home to Trinity College, a private liberal arts college, and the Mark Twain House where the author wrote his most famous works and raised his family, among other historically significant attractions. Twain wrote in 1868, “Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief.” Following the American Civil War, Hartford was the richest city in the United States for several decades. Today, Hartford is one of the poorest cities in the nation, with 3 out of every 10 families living below the poverty line. In sharp contrast, the Hartford metropolitan area is ranked 32nd of 318 metropolitan areas in total economic production and 7th out of 280 metropolitan statistical areas in per capita income. Highlighting the socio-economic disparity between Hartford and its suburbs, 83% of Hartford’s jobs are filled by commuters from neighboring towns who earn over $80,000, while 75% of Hartford residents who commute to work in other towns earn just $40,000.

Helsinki, Finland

The Helsinki metropolitan area generates approximately one third of Finland’s GDP. GDP per capita is roughly 1.3 times the national average. The metropolitan area’s gross value added per capita is 200% of the mean of 27 European metropolitan areas, equaling those of Stockholm or Paris. The gross value added annual growth has been around 4%. 83 of the 100 largest Finnish companies are headquartered in Greater Helsinki. Two-thirds of the 200 highest-paid Finnish executives live in Greater Helsinki and 42% in Helsinki. The average income of the top 50 earners is 1.65 million euro.

Hong Kong, China

As one of the world’s leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade. The currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world. Hong Kong was once described by Milton Friedman as the world’s greatest experiment in laissez-faire capitalism, but has since instituted a regime of regulations including a minimum wage. It maintains a highly developed capitalist economy, ranked the freest in the world by the Index of Economic Freedom. It is an important centre for international finance and trade, with one of the greatest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region, and is known as one of the Four Asian Tigers for its high growth rates and rapid development. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the seventh largest in the world, with a market capitalisation of US$2.3 trillion. Hong Kong raised 22 percent of worldwide initial public offering (IPO) capital, making it the largest centre of IPOs in the world and the easiest place to raise capital. The Hong Kong dollar has been pegged to the U.S. dollar since 1983. The Hong Kong Government has traditionally played a mostly passive role in the economy, with little by way of industrial policy and almost no import or export controls. Market forces and the private sector were allowed to determine practical development.

Honolulu, HI

The largest city and airport in the Hawaiian Islands, Honolulu acts as a natural gateway to the islands’ large tourism industry, which brings millions of visitors and contributes $10 billion annually to the local economy. Honolulu’s location in the Pacific also makes it a large business and trading hub, particularly between the East and the West. Other important aspects of the city’s economy include military defense, research and development, and manufacturing. Among the companies based in Honolulu are Alexander & Baldwin, Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaii Medical Service Association, Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Matson Navigation Company and The Queen’s Health Systems.

Houston, TX

Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry, particularly for oil and natural gas, as well as for biomedical research and aeronautics. Renewable energy sources, wind and solar, are also growing economic bases in Houston. The ship channel is also a large part of Houston’s economic base. Because of these strengths, Houston is designated as a global city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network. The Houston area is the top U.S. market for exports, surpassing New York City, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Petroleum products, chemicals, and oil and gas extraction equipment accounted for approximately two-thirds of the metropolitan area’s exports last year. The top three destinations for exports were Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.

Hyderabad, India

Hyderabad is the capital of the southern Indian state of Telangana and de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is the largest commercial centre in southern India; it has an estimated net State Domestic Product of 1500 billion (US$25 billion) in nominal terms and ~ 6000 billion (US$100 billion) in PPP terms. Key service industries are information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Construction, power, health and community services, and real estate are also important to the city’s economy. Hyderabad has one of India’s largest and fastest growing IT industries. Manufacturing also grew considerably as consumer goods companies established manufacturing units and headquarters in the city. Hyderabad’s large technology market and the availability of skilled professionals have attracted foreign investment. The technology sector employs 2,000,000 workers and the city had 100,000 technology units.

Indianapolis, IN

The largest industry sectors by employment in Indianapolis are manufacturing, health care and social services, and retail trade. Compared to Indiana as a whole, the Indianapolis metropolitan area has a lower proportion of manufacturing jobs and a higher concentration of jobs in wholesale trade; administrative, support, and waste management; professional, scientific, and technical services; and transportation and warehousing. Many of Indiana’s largest and most recognized companies are headquartered in Indianapolis, including pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company; wireless distribution and logistics provider Brightpoint; health insurance provider Wellpoint; retailers Marsh Supermarkets, Finish Line, Republic Airways Holdings and REIT Simon Property Group. The U.S. headquarters of Roche Diagnostics, Conseco, First Internet Bank of Indiana, Dow AgroSciences, Emmis Communications, Steak ‘n Shake, and Allison Transmission are also located in Indianapolis. Other major Indianapolis area employers include Indiana University Health, Sallie Mae, Cook Group, Rolls-Royce, Delta Faucet Company, Ice Miller, Raytheon, Carrier and General Motors.

Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad is a net contributor to the Pakistani economy, as whilst having only 0.8% of the country’s population, it contributes 1% to the country’s GDP. Islamabad Stock Exchange is Pakistan’s third largest stock exchange after Karachi Stock Exchange and Lahore Stock Exchange. The exchange has 118 members with 104 corporate bodies and 18 individual members. The average daily turnover of the stock exchange is over 1 million shares.Islamabad LTU (Large Tax Unit) was responsible for Rs 371 billion in tax revenue, which amounts to 20% of all the revenue collected by Federal Board of Revenue. Islamabad has seen an expansion in information and communications technology with the addition two Software Technology Parks, which house numerous national and foreign technological and information technology companies. The tech parks are located in Evacuee Trust Complex and Awami Markaz. Awami Markaz houses 36 IT companies while Evacuee Trust house 29 companies. Call centres for foreign companies have been targeted as another significant area of growth, with the government making efforts to reduce taxes by as much as 10% to encourage foreign investments in the information technology sector. Most of Pakistan’s state-owned companies like PIA, PTV, PTCL, OGDCL, and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd. are based in Islamabad. Headquarters of all major telecommunication operators such as PTCL, Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, and China Mobile are located in Islamabad.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is ranked 29th among the world’s urban areas. Istanbul’s economy has been one of the fastest growing among OECD metro-regions. According to Foreign Policy and the McKinsey Global Institute, Istanbul will register the 14th-highest absolute GDP growth among world cities by 2025. Istanbul is responsible for 27 percent of Turkey’s GDP, with 20 percent of the country’s industrial labor force residing in the city. Its GDP per capita and productivity are greater than their national averages by 70 percent and 50 percent, respectively, owing in part to the focus on high-value-added activities. With its high population and significant contribution to the Turkish economy, Istanbul is responsible for two-fifths of the nation’s tax revenue. That includes the taxes of thirty-seven billionaires based in Istanbul, the fifth-highest number among cities around the world. Istanbul is home to Borsa Istanbul, the sole exchange entity of Turkey, which combined the former Istanbul Stock Exchange, the Istanbul Gold Exchange, and the Derivatives Exchange of Turkey. As the only sea route between the oil-rich Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the Bosphorus is one of the busiest waterways in the world; more than 200 million tonnes of oil pass through the strait each year, and the traffic on the Bosphorus is three times that on the Suez Canal. Istanbul is an increasingly popular tourist destination; it the world’s fifth most-visited city.

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville’s location on the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean proved providential in the growth of the city and its industry. Jacksonville has the largest deepwater port in the South (as well as the second-largest port on the U.S. East coast) and a leading port in the U.S. for automobile imports, as well as the leading transportation and distribution hub in the state. However, the strength of the city’s economy lies in its broad diversification. Jacksonville is home to many prominent corporations and organizations, including the headquarters of four Fortune 500 companies: CSX Corporation, Fidelity National Financial, Fidelity National Information Services and BI-LO (United States) including it’s subsidiary Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. In addition to CSX, the Florida East Coast Railway as well as Swisher International Group and the large short line railroad holding company RailAmerica are also based in Jacksonville.

Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta’s economy depends heavily on financial service, trade, and manufacturing. Industries in Jakarta include electronics, automotive, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing. The economic growth of Jakarta is 6.44% up from 5.95%, with the growth in the transportation and communication (15.25%), construction (7.81%) and trade, hotel and restaurant sectors (6.88%). GRP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) is Rp. 566 trillion (around $US 56 billion). The largest contributions to GDRP are by finance, ownership and business services (29%); trade, hotel and restaurant sector (20%), and manufacturing industry sector (16%). The increase in per capita GRDP of DKI Jakarta inhabitants is 11.6% compared to the previous year.

Jersey, Channel Islands

Jersey’s economy is based on financial services (43% of GVA), tourism (hotels, restaurants and bars making 3% of GVA), e-commerce, and agriculture (2% of GVA). The island is recognized as one of the leading offshore financial centres. Employment can be broken down as follows: 24% in financial and legal services; 16% in wholesale and retail trades; 16% in the public sector; 10% in education, health and other private sector services; 10% in construction and quarrying; 9% in hotels, restaurants and bars. Jersey is ranked as a tax haven by many organizations, the Financial Secrecy Index ranks Jersey as the 9th safest tax haven in the world, ahead of Japan but behind Germany.

Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg is one of the world’s leading financial centres and it is the economic and financial hub of South Africa, producing 16% of South Africa’s gross domestic product, and accounts for 40% of Gauteng’s economic activity. In a survey conducted by MasterCard, Johannesburg ranked 47 out of 50 top cities in the world as a worldwide centre of commerce. Mining was the foundation of the Witwatersrand’s economy, but its importance is gradually declining due to dwindling reserves and service and manufacturing industries have become more significant to the city’s economy. While gold mining no longer takes place within the city limits, most mining companies still have their headquarters in Johannesburg. The city’s manufacturing industries extend across a range of areas and there is still a reliance on heavy industries including steel and cement plants. The service and other industries include banking, IT, real estate, transport, broadcast and print media, private health care, transport and a vibrant leisure and consumer retail market. Johannesburg has Africa’s largest stock exchange, the JSE although it has moved out of the central business district. Due to its commercial role, the city is the seat of the provincial government and the site of a number of government branch offices, as well as consular offices and other institutions.

Kabul, Afghanistan

Kabul as a political, financial and business center concentrates all business activities, financial flows, offices, etc. Despite the terrorist attacks, it is safer place for business, in comparison with provinces. The country developments affect the business life in Kabul, as government and institutions are there and as major companies head offices are situated there. The sponsors believe that development of infrastructure will support business operations – water, power generation, capacity building, and the transport links to domestic and international markets – roads railways, pipelines. World Bank indicates Afghanistan as the fastest growing economy in South Asia. The major sectors are – agriculture takes around 25 % of total economy – opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins; industry is 22 % – production of bricks, textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, clothes, food, juices and mineral water, cement; hand woven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper; services take 53 %. Labor force is 7.5 mln.; unemployment is 30-35 %. Trade exports: $2.8 billion – opium, fruits and nuts, hand woven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, gems. Pakistan 33.7%, India 23.8%, Tajikistan 8.9%, Russia 5.6%, Bangladesh 5.1%, US 4.1%. Trade imports: $6.4 bln. – Machinery and capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products, US 31.3%, Pakistan 20.7%, Russia 8.4%, India 5.4%, Germany 4%. Electricity production is close to 1 bln. kWh; consumption is 3.9 bln. kWh; generation capacity is above 0.5 GW, of which 23.5 % fossil, hydro is 76.3%, 0.2% renewable; import coming mainly from northern neighbors, funded by India, ADB, WB, and USAID. Numerous rehabilitation and new construction projects of power plants and grid are going on, financed by banks, donors, states, international organizations. Afghanistan has undeveloped natural resources and deposits estimated at $3 trillion – lithium, copper and gold, iron, lead, zinc and natural gas. Billions are invested in mines, in could support to the country’ economic independence. Chinese and Indian companies mainly bid to develop mineral deposits. Copper mines are the largest investments – China Metallurgical Group & consortium. Gold concessions were given to various international investors and to the local businessman Sadat Naderi, iron – to Steel Authority of India and consortium, together with a mill and a power plant. A Chinese company CNPC explores the Amu Darya oil deposits, with a 25-year contract and plans for refinery construction. Natural gas – production/consumption 160 mln.m3 (2011); reserves estimated to 50 bln.m3. LPG – Ghazanfar holds 70 % of the trade in Afghanistan. Challenges in mine industry are: the longest lead-times, high operating costs, missing water and power generation supportive infrastructure and transport links. Despite the destabilizing factors, the investments process continues, supported by numerous opportunities. Kabul Municipal Development Program ($110 million grant) targets: access to basic municipal services, redesign Municipality’s financial system, and early response to emergency. The Kabul municipality implements the project, that will give benefits to over 700 000 people. Road and sanitation equipment will be installed to combat pollution and improve road services and city environment. Kabul Urban Transport Efficiency Improvement Project ($90.5 million grant), aims to improve the road infrastructure and provision of technical assistance to Kabul Municipality. There are others, targeting the administrative capacity, civil works contracts, implementation of the international construction norms. All those are under supervision and management of foreign specialists, engineers, architects, designers. Foreign investments in electrical network, transport corridors and mining, give chances to local economies. It is not rare case anymore that Afghan companies get projects in important segments of the economy. All this investments, involving local people, give chance to development of the human capacity. A $1 billion project New Kabul City, signed in 2013, is a major residential development of multi-function commercial, historic and cultural complex within the Old City of Kabul. Long discussed projects: TAPI, gas supply from Turkmenistan to India, through Afghanistan; and CASA-1000 a 1,300 MW transmission line(grant of $526.5 million)in Afghanistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, and Tajikistan, will support the development of the construction industry, and provide gas and electricity to energy hungry provinces, involving local engineers and increasing the local technological capacity. Those projects create optimism among population, that good development in their country is possible. The threats in the country development are many, as the main one is the local insurgency. There are regions, controlled by insurgents and despite all efforts of the army, supported by NATO troops, the success is not immediate, so providing instability to the whole country and to Kabul, where terrorist attacks are daily. Another threat is the involvement of foreign terrorist organizations, some already well situated in Middle East and some new, looking for ways to be seen. Recently those began fighting each other, bringing more chaos to the situation. Weaknesses of Afghanistan are – corruption and lack of institutional capacity; population consists of several major tribes, who keep own territories; urbanization is very low, that hinders creation of homogeneous society. All those mentioned projects, which are going on, are done mainly by foreign specialists, engineers, architects, by foreign companies. Although many local specialists are gradually involved, it is very insufficient for strong and fast development of a local engineering pool, very much necessary to the country. Strengths of Afghanistan are also numerous – the country practically needs total renovation in each sector, and together with foreign investment, that is supportive to projects. The population accepts development process and participates in it. Thousands of young people study in renowned universities, eager to get personal development, but also to support creation of a future engineering pool. The mining wealth of the country will bring the necessary industrialization to the economy.

Kano, Nigeria

Kano is the capital of Kano State in North-West, Nigeria. It is situated in the Sahelian geographic region, south of the Sahara. Kano is the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria and is the second largest city in Nigeria, after Lagos. The Kano metropolis initially covered 137 square kilometers (53 square miles), and comprised six local government areas (LGAs) — Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nasarawa; However, it now covers two additional LGAs — Ungogo and Kumbotso. The total area of Metropolitan Kano is now 499 square kilometers (193 square miles), with a population of 2,828,861 as of the 2006 Nigerian census. The principal inhabitants of the city are the Hausa people. As in most parts of northern Nigeria, the Hausa language is widely spoken in Kano. The city is the capital of the Kano Emirate. The current emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, was enthroned on 8 June 2014 after the death of Alhaji Ado Bayero, the thirtieth emir of Kano, on Friday, 6 June 2014. The city’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, the main airport serving northern Nigeria, is named after a politician, Mallam Aminu Kano.

Kansas City, MO

The Greater Kansas City area is close to the geographical center of the United States. This makes it well located for distribution, manufacturing, warehousing and intermodal transportation. The economy in the Kansas City area is diverse. Major manufacturing employers are Hallmark Cards, Harmon Industries, Inc., and American Italian Pasta, the largest producer of pasta in North America. Federal Express, Wausau Supply, Procter & Gamble, and H&R Block either have or are in the process of relocating significant operations or expanding existing ones in the area. The city is home to the corporate headquarters for DST Systems, automated recordkeeping for the mutual fund industry, Nextel Corp., YRC Worldwide, Hallmark Cards, Russell Stover Candies, H&R Block, and Novastar Financial. “Prosperity at a Crossroads” found that Greater Kansas City was weak in the number of firms engaging in domestic and international trade, the quality of human capital and capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship, three drivers they have identified for regional economic growth. As an example, net exports as a share of its overall economy has declined significantly since 1990. Along with this the percentage of the number of people with a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering and math is below national averages, and those with these skills are leaving the area for places outside of the Midwest. The economic growth rate for the area is expected to be above national averages. The strongest job growth is expected to be in the services industry followed by construction and real estate. Manufacturing employment is expected to be fairly flat with output gains coming from productivity improvements. Slight employment increases are expected in the transportation and wholesale industries because of large investments being made in new distribution facilities, such as those surrounding the BNSF intermodal center in southwest Johnson County. Increases in automation will allow for substantial increases in freight while employing roughly the same number of people. Growth in construction employment is expected to continue to increase as is the professional, technical and scientific services industry, which accounts for over 25% of the areas employment growth rates. The biggest declining sector is traditional retail. As internet sales account for more of the local spending, traditional retailers will be forced to come up with better and more cost effective methods. The number of retail workers in the Greater Kansas City economy is forecast to decline.

Kiev, Ukraine

As with most capital cities, Kiev is a major administrative, cultural and scientific centre of the country. It is the largest city in Ukraine in terms of both population and area and enjoys the highest levels of business activity. There are around 238,000 business entities registered in Kiev. Official figures show that Kiev’s economy outstripped the rest of the country’s, growing by an annual average of 11.5%. Kiev is a middle-income city, with prices currently comparable to many mid-size American cities. Kiev is the undisputed center of business and commerce of Ukraine and home to the country’s largest companies, such as Naftogaz Ukrainy, Energorynok and Kyivstar. The city accounts for 18% of national retail sales and 24% of all construction activity.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Malaysian ICT market is going through a lot of changes and will gain momentum. Capabilities will be built in digital content, software development and testing, Internet of Things (IoT), data centers and cloud services, cyber security and big data analytics (BDA). The Government has taken the special interest in developing the Internet of Things (IoT) sector, which has resulted in several market partnerships. The commercialization of ‘smart city’ infrastructure, applications, and services such as smart highways, intelligent traffic management systems and advanced energy management systems are expected to drive IoT adoption across key social and economic sectors. Over the last five years, the data center industry has grown rapidly to support 26 data center service companies and nearly 200 specialized service providers capable of providing affordable, scalable and high-quality remote data storage and retrieval services to the growing numbers of multinational corporations looking to establish regional headquarters in the country. Cloud computing is expected to gain momentum with growing investments in data centers and ICT infrastructure in Malaysia. Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia has named cloud computing as the most important of its top 10 strategic technology priorities. The government hopes that adoption of cloud computing, building on the national broadband initiative, could accelerate Malaysia’s development into an advanced economy. In Malaysia, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has the highest adoption of cloud computing followed by Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Hybrid Clouds remain the dominant form of deployment by enterprises and this model has been recognized by service providers as a key growth market. While the adoption of cloud computing offers multiple potential benefits, there are also concerns regarding bandwidth consumption, lack of maturity of cloud environments, latency, data security and privacy guarantees from service providers. Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) identified R&D in cyberspace security as a critical issue for the continued development of its IT and telecoms sectors. MOSTI stated the imperative of reducing the vulnerability of critical infrastructures such as power grids, air traffic control systems, military and financial systems. More focus will be given to key areas such as secure communications to protect the confidentiality and integrity of information during transmission and storage, high availability systems to ensure continuous and uninterrupted operations of critical IT software projects, network surveillance to detect and respond to incidents of system disruption, secure access to protect the ICT system from unauthorized entry, and system integrity controls to ensure that a system and its data are not illicitly modified or corrupted. These changes in growth are attributed to the move from traditional computers to smaller ICT devices and wearable gadgets, the increasing amount of real-time and interactive multimedia content supported by mobile technology, the rising popularity of cloud computing, Big Data Analytics, software-as-a-service (SaaS), social media applications, Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technology, the integration of systems and processes and ICT services by and with the people and institutions and service providers. Currently, its share to gross domestic product (GDP) is 17.3 percent (USD 62 billion in current prices) in 2016. Despite the slower economy in 2016, the ICT industry registered 14.2 percent growth, based on the 12.5 percent growth that the industry experienced in 2015. The outlook for consultancy services remains bullish specifically in the risk management associated with cloud computing projects, Internet of Things (IoT) projects, e-commerce, and security systems.