Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate 9th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in the presence of heads of state from Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Czech Republic, Denmark and Republic of Malta on January 18.

Prime Minister Modi will conduct one-on-one interactions with these leaders during the day after inauguration in the morning. "The Ministry of External Affairs is organising the meetings at the Prime Minister’s lounge at Mahatma Mandir," informed J N Singh, Chief Secretary of Gujarat during a media interaction on Friday.

An array of international and national business leaders will take part during the three-day summit. The Prime Minister will arrive in Ahmedabad on January 17 to inaugurate global trade show and in the evening, he will throw open the Ahmedabad Shopping Festival by making a token purchase from Sabarmati Riverfront market. The following day after the inauguration of the Summit, he will chair a round-table of global sovereign wealth/pension funds and institutions in the evening.

Sharing an update on the preparations on the iconic event, Singh stated that the event has witnessed registrations from over 20,000 delegates and about 26,000 companies. While overall 115 delegations will take part in the event, there will also be 21 ministers from 15 partner countries.

"The focus of the Vibrant Gujarat is not limited to Gujarat. We have opened our floor for national and international engagements in trade and exports. There will be a dedicated Africa Day to emphasise our focus on engagement with African nations. This is the forum for discussions and policy formulations," said Singh.

Singh further stated that Prime Minister may stay back for the night of January 18 and take part in the events happening the next day. The valedictory session of the event will take place in the afternoon of January 20 and is likely to be attended by the Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and chief minister Vijay Rupani.

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