Chandrababu Naidu Pitches Andhra As Global Investment Destination At Davos

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is on a four-day visit to Switzerland to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026. His goal is to position Andhra Pradesh as a global investment destination and attract long-term partnerships across technology, industry and innovation.

The WEF Annual Meeting is being held at Davos-Klosters from January 19 to 23.

Chandrababu Naidu received a grand welcome at Zurich airport on Monday, where members of the Telugu community gathered to greet him. Several global leaders, including Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, also greeted him during the visit.

‘The Andhra Pradesh Advantage'

Chandrababu Naidu will begin his Davos engagements by addressing the CII Breakfast Session on the theme “The Andhra Pradesh Advantage.” He will outline the state's investor-friendly ecosystem, focusing on faster decision-making, ease of doing business, port-led development, robust infrastructure and a skilled workforce. He will later participate in the inauguration of the India Lounge and interact with global investors.

Meetings With Global Industry Leaders

The Chief Minister's schedule includes one-on-one meetings with top global executives, including Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO of IBM, and Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, focusing on technology, digital infrastructure and innovation-driven growth. He will also meet Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), to discuss collaboration in innovation and intellectual property.

Further discussions are planned with Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director of the JSW Group, Parth Jindal of JSW Cements and JSW Paints, and Vincent Clerc, CEO of Maersk, with emphasis on manufacturing, ports and logistics-led development.

Ministers Nara Lokesh and TG Bharat will join several of these meetings. The Chief Minister will also attend the session “Vision to Velocity - Deploying Innovation at Scale” and a round-table on the “One Family - One Entrepreneur” initiative.

Focus On AI And Creative Economy

In Zurich, Chandrababu Naidu said Andhra Pradesh will be developed as a hub for AI-driven creative enterprises. He met Kishore Lulla, Founder and Chairman of Eros Innovations, and highlighted opportunities in AI creative tech hubs, generative AI, deep tech and the digital content economy.

The state, he said, is encouraging investments in digital media, virtual production, gaming, animation and film technology to generate large-scale employment.

Eros Innovations leaders Ridhima Lulla and Swaneet Singh briefed the Chief Minister on initiatives such as Eros Gen AI, the Eros Universe Super App, an AI-enabled Film City, virtual production studios and the “Discover Andhra Pradesh 360” virtual tourism project. Kishore Lulla referred to the Chief Minister as “Davos Man Chandrababu.”

Pitch For Swiss Investments

The Chief Minister also met Mridul Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Switzerland, and sought support to attract Swiss companies to Andhra Pradesh. He outlined opportunities in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, electronics, heavy machinery and advanced manufacturing, saying that the state has introduced 25 new industrial policies with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and skill development.

Ambassador Mridul Kumar said Andhra Pradesh had drawn investments of around Rs 2 lakh crore following last year's Davos engagements and pointed to Liechtenstein's AI-led growth.

Chandrababu Naidu said he would engage with the Liechtenstein delegation during the forum. Minister Nara Lokesh highlighted the state's large-scale skill development initiatives and growing capabilities in emerging areas such as drones.