Ekniti: Davos lifts Thailand profile, THB500bn lined up for digital/AI

Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, said he was assigned by the Prime Minister to lead “Team Thailand” to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. He said the meeting’s core purpose was to serve as a platform for leaders to discuss and help shape global directions on the economy, trade, finance and investment.

He said the first key point was that Thailand demonstrated a clear presence “on the radar” of the global stage, at a time when the world economy is being shaped amid geopolitical conflicts and increasing polarisation.

He added that ASEAN—particularly Thailand as a hub within the region—was able to highlight that Thailand’s neutrality is seen as a point where many seek to manage risks from a polarised world, leading to more interest in investing and trading with Thailand. He pointed to investment applications last year of around THB 1.8 trillion, up about 60%, with foreign investors interested across a range of industries, including modern agriculture, food processing, electric vehicles, smart electronics and data centres.

Ekniti said that, according to a United Nations report released last Friday, Thailand ranked first in ASEAN and sixth in the world for attracting data-centre investment, listing the top 10 as: France, the United States, South Korea, Brazil, Spain, Thailand, India, Italy, Malaysia and Norway.

He said the second key point was building networks with international organisational leaders. During the trip, he met the World Bank President, the IMF Managing Director, the OECD Secretary-General, and leaders from a number of agencies and governments.

Thailand raised its OECD accession plan in discussions with the OECD Secretary-General, and Ekniti said Thailand received confirmation that efforts would be made to help drive Thailand’s OECD membership within five years.

He added Thailand has also been honoured to host the IMF–World Bank Group Annual Meetings in October, which will bring many economic leaders to Thailand, noting that Thailand has not hosted the event for 35 years.

The third key point, he said, was attracting foreign investors. Ekniti said he met executives from around 30 leading companies interested in investing in Thailand, particularly in digital and AI. He said the companies confirmed they would invest and expand investment in Thailand, with a combined value of around THB 500 billion across existing and new projects.

He said the government is not only seeking investment in infrastructure, but also wants investors to help strengthen Thai people’s capabilities—supporting skills development and job creation for the modern economy through the “Skill Bridge” initiative. He said all investors he met were ready to participate, including efforts to develop data engineers so Thai people can secure jobs and higher incomes in the green, digital and data economy.

Ekniti said investors would be ready to invest even more if Thailand has sufficient clean energy, which he said the Prime Minister has discussed in Cabinet as a priority—requiring preparations of supporting infrastructure to make Thailand even more attractive.

He concluded that the three key outcomes were: raising Team Thailand’s presence on the WEF and global economy stage; building networks with international economic institutions and preparing to host the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in October; and showcasing Thailand’s investment strengths in modern agriculture, digital, data and wellness—while also inviting investors to jointly develop Thai skills in AI, digital and the green economy.