Kuwait topped among the GCC states in The Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008, released today by the World Economic Forum.

Several countries in the Middle East and North Africa region are in the upper half of the rankings, led by Kuwait (30), Qatar (31), Tunisia (32), Saudi Arabia (35) and the UAE (37).

Oman ranked 42 and Bahrain 43. Among the other Mena states, Jordan ranked 49, Morocco 64, Egypt 77, Algeria 81 and Libya 88.

The United States topped the overall rankings, followed by Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Singapore.

China (34) and India (48) continue to lead the way among large developing economies.

Chile (26) is the highest ranked country in Latin America, followed by Mexico and Costa Rica. In sub-Saharan Africa, only South Africa and Mauritius feature in the top half of the rankings, with several countries from the region positioned at the very bottom.

Nine Asia Pacific countries/ territories are among the top 30 in the GCI rankings, led by Singapore, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong.

“High oil prices and intensifying global trade linkages have led to very high rates of growth for the past half-decade in many of the region’s (Middle East and North Africa) countries. Initial reform efforts carried out in recent years have also contributed to this outcome, but, as shown by the GCI results in many countries, the region is still far from realising its full productive potential. This will require an acceleration of the reform process to tackle many of the obstacles to competitiveness and productivity outlined above. Leaders in the region must seize the opportunity afforded by the windfall oil revenues in the region, which provide a cushion for making the necessary reforms, and they must resist the temptation of allowing what may be a short-lived boon to lead to complacency,” said Margareta Dzreniek Hanouz, senior economist responsible for Mena competitiveness research at the World Economic Forum.

The rankings are calculated from both publicly available data and the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum together with its network of Partner Institutes (leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries covered by the report. This year, over 11,000 business leaders were polled in a record 131 countries. The survey is designed to capture a broad range of factors affecting an economy’s business climate. The report also includes comprehensive listings of the main strengths and weaknesses of countries, making it possible to identify key priorities for policy reform.

“Economic policy, especially at the microeconomic level, needs to set priorities that reflect the most important constraints to competitiveness in each country. The GCR enables countries to move beyond abstract theoretical policy debates and identify the specific tasks ahead of them,” explained Michael E Porter, Harvard Business School Professor, and co-director of the report.

“In an uncertain global financial environment it is more important than ever for countries to put into place the fundamentals underpinning economic growth and development. The World Economic Forum has for many years played a facilitating role in this process by providing detailed assessments of the productive potential of nations worldwide. The Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008 offers policy-makers and business leaders an important tool in the formulation of improved economic policies and institutional reforms,' noted Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. – TradeArabia News Service