Bahrain will soon play host to a regional investment centre.

It will be the first in the Middle East for businesses from OECD states.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has 30 member countries, among them the richest economies in the world.

The opening of the Middle East North Africa (Mena) Investment Centre was announced yesterday by Economic Development Board (EDB) chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of a two-day Mena-OECD Investment Programme workshop at the Moevenpick Hotel.

Also attending were Mena-OECD Investment Programme head Rainer Geiger and Switzerland state secretariat for economic affairs adviser Paul Obrist.

Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and Works and Housing Minister Fahmi Al Jowder were also present at the launch.

'This centre will act as a regional hub for research excellence, and the distribution and dissemination of OECD materials and more importantly, its principles,' said Shaikh Mohammed.

'We take very seriously our commitment to upholding the organisation's mission to help governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges we each face in a modern global economy,' he added.

The centre will act as a link for regional investment authorities with the OECD headquarters in Paris. It will establish a network of regional and international research organisations and serve as a regional focal point for the investment programme.