“Match-Maker Albania 2025,” the biggest business event of the year organized by the Albanian Investment Development Agency, kicked off today in Tirana. The event has brought together over 1,000 participants from 37 countries, including investors, development agencies, and Albanian exporters, with a focus on investments in tourism, real estate, and infrastructure, as well as the strengthening of the “Made in Albania” brand.
This platform, created to foster partnerships and collaboration, presents an exceptional opportunity to connect Albanian exporters with international markets, to showcase both domestic and foreign investments in Albania, to highlight the country’s potential, and to forge new partnerships with global companies.
Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomed the opening of the event by emphasizing that now is the best time to invest in Albania. “We are a very good country to invest in—across all sectors. A great country, as well, to bring together local and international business actors.” – he stated.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama:
I truly hope you understand that developing a country requires winning elections—so I sincerely apologize for the delay. The reason I was late was election-related, and I hope you’ll understand that it wasn’t something I wanted to cause, but rather something I had to attend to. It may have been less exciting, but it was extremely important. So, again, I apologize!
Secondly, I won’t give a long speech, because clearly, you’ve already chosen to be here—there’s no need to convince you. But I do want to say one thing, especially for those visiting for the first time: this is the moment to invest in Albania.
Now is the time to buy—even if it’s just a stone—because tomorrow might be too late. Tomorrow, everyone will want to come, everyone will want to buy, and prices will rise beyond the reach of many. So, whatever you’re thinking of buying, buy it now. Whatever you’re considering doing, do it now. Whatever return on investment you’re aiming for, act now—because this is a turning point. Albania is beginning to bloom, and while the country’s potential and extraordinary opportunities are not yet fully recognized globally, once they are, it won’t be as easy—or as affordable—as it is today. Yes, it was easier yesterday, but even today, it’s still a great window of opportunity.
With that said, the numbers are starting to speak for themselves—whether we’re talking about the volume of investments, the rise in tourism, the growth in imports and exports, or the increasing interest in both coastal and mountainous regions. Albania is a prime location for investment in every sector, and a place where local and international business actors can come together and thrive.
And finally—though certainly not least—there’s one thing in Albania that still remains incredibly undervalued: everything that has to do with the mountains. For those who know Albania through its coastline or urban centers and think they’ve seen the best—I assure you, the very best is in the mountains. And anything someone chooses to do there today will be rewarded many times over—not in some distant future, but in the near term.
So, I want to thank all of you for being here.
I want to welcome those visiting for the first time.
And I want to especially thank those who live here and waited patiently for this event to begin.
Once again, my apologies for the delay—and let me just say this: you won’t find another Balkan who apologizes twice and doesn’t get an applause for it.
Thank you!”