VISAKHAPATNAM: Thirty-one Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 21,498 crore were signed at the first regional conference held in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday as part of the preparations for the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026.
The MoUs have the potential to create 56,945 jobs. Another 33 projects worth Rs 3,518.73 crore were grounded or inaugurated at the conference held at IIM Visakhapatnam. These projects have the potential to create 9,449 jobs and include eight State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) projects, three tourism projects and 22 MSME units.
The conference was organised by the Andhra Pradesh Government in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Industries and Commerce and Food Processing Minister TG Bharath, and Roads and Buildings and Infrastructure and Investments Minister BC Janardhan Reddy addressed investors.
The government made a region-specific investment presentation, while industry representatives shared their views on investment opportunities. The conference also included an MSME exhibition, speaker sessions, MoU signings and foundation-laying ceremonies.
Addressing the conference, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said Andhra Pradesh was progressing rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. He said Visakhapatnam was emerging as a gateway to the economy and that the idea of developing a Visakhapatnam Economic Region was important for the State’s growth.
“Time is now for the investment,” Rammohan Naidu said, stressing the need to start projects quickly.
He said the APIIC single-window mechanism is helping complete the approvals process within six to 12 months, enabling investors to establish industries faster. Rammohan Naidu said investment proposals worth `8.67 lakh crore had been received through 216 mega projects in Andhra Pradesh over the past two years.
Roads and Buildings and Infrastructure and Investments Minister BC Janardhan Reddy said reducing logistics costs and creating seamless multi-modal connectivity were among the government’s priorities. He said Andhra Pradesh had around 1.6 lakh km of roads, including 8,360 km of national highways, and that projects worth more than Rs. 1 lakh crore were under construction or at the detailed project report stage. He said the State Government had identified 23 port and harbour projects.
The greenfield ports at Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam and Mulapeta were expected to be completed and become operational by March 2027, he said.
District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore said Visakhapatnam had hosted the first of five regional conferences and that the 31st CII Partnership Summit would also be held in the city on Nov 12 and 13.
