Vibrant Gujarat

Vibrant Gujarat, also referred to as Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, is a biennial investors' global business event that is held in the state of Gujarat, India. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in Gujarat. The summit's primary objective is to promote Gujarat as an attractive investment destination and to facilitate partnerships and collaborations across different sectors. Summit began in 2003 and is now held every two years.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was first launched in 2003 by then Chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, and over the years, it has evolved into one of Gujarat's most important economic forums. It is organized by the Government of Gujarat and supported by various industry associations, both at the national and international levels. The summit's primary objective is to promote Gujarat as an attractive investment destination and to facilitate partnerships and collaborations across different sectors. The primary objective of the summit is to create a platform where business leaders, policymakers, and investors to explore opportunities for investment, collaboration, and partnership in various sectors of the economy. The event is structured to facilitate discussions, negotiations, and agreements in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, information technology, agriculture, healthcare, and more. During the Vibrant Summit series, thousands of MOUs were signed and billions of dollars were spent in Gujarat (2003–76 MOUs worth USD 14 billions, 2005–226 MOUs worth USD 20 billions, 2007–675 MOUs worth USD 152 billions, 2009–8662 MOUs worth USD 243 billions, 2011–7936 MOUs worth USD 462 billions).

1st Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit was organized during the Navratri festival in 2003 by then-Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi. The Industrial Extension Bureau acted as a nodal agency for the State Government during Vibrant Gujarat: Global Investors Summit (28 September to 2 October 2003) organized at the two major commercial cities of the State–Ahmedabad and Surat in association with the Government of India, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) & CII.

The conventions during the programme had sectoral sessions focus sector – Industrial Investment, Agro-Processing, Biotech- Pharma, Natural Gas and Oil, Infrastructure, Mining, Tourism, Apparels and Gems-Jewellery at Ahmedabad and sectoral sessions on Garment & Textiles and Gems & Jewellery at surat . There were also exhibitions in above sectors at respective places in Ahmedabad and Surat to provide a platform for showcasing products and services. One-to-one discussions between the prospective investors, government officials and the project promoters took place.

The Deputy Prime Minister of India, Lal Krishna Advani inaugurated Vibrant Gujarat: Global Investors’ Summit 2003 on 28 September 2003. Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Arun Shourie, Ram Naik, Mukesh Ambani, and A C Muthaih were the other dignitaries present on the dais. Various sessions during the programme were chaired by other ministers from the Union and State Government. Other events organized during Navratri festival were International Convention on Reconstruction in Kutch District after earthquake in 2001 and Celebration of Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at Porbandar–the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhiji on his birthday anniversary on 2 October 2003.

About 1,000 business delegates, 125 foreign delegates, 200 Non-Resident Indians, 200 leading dignitaries and other participants from about 45 countries participated in Navratri festival. A large number of corporate leaders like Subhir Raha, C K Birla, CEOs of multinational companies like Shell, British Gas, General Motors, P&O ports, Niko & Steag and others attended the event. International dignitaries like Larry Pressler, ex-US Senator; Michael Clarke graced the occasion.

MoUs, IEMs, and concrete business plans in the form of proposals worth ₹55,000 crore were registered with the government. These proposals were submitted in a variety of industries, including electricity, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism, biotechnology, agro-foods, research, gems and jewelry, and technical education. 176 project proposals were compiled and were then scrutinized for their viability. Internationally reputed credit rating agencies like CRISIL and CARE lend their support as the financial advisors to these projects. Leading private and public sector banks of India like ICICI, IDBI, State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, State Bank of Saurashtra, Corporation Bank, IDFC and NABARD have extended their support for financing these projects. CRISIL also worked with iNDEXTb in structuring these projects. At the end of the event, 76 memorandums of understanding (MoU) worth US$14 billion for investment were signed.

2005 Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's Summit was a two-day event organized in India. It started with the Vice President of India, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, inaugurating the ceremony. More than 6,000 people attended the inaugural ceremony. The dignitaries present at the ceremony included industry representatives, foreign multinationals, NRIs as well as the business from various sections of the society, India. Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, Gautam Adani of the Adani Group, Shashi Ruia of Essar, Nigel Shaw of British Gas and so on. MoUs for setting up projects worth ₹870 Billion were signed on the first day itself.