The purpose of the event is to support the networking and business cooperation between companies abroad, including those owned by Bosnian and Herzegovinian diaspora and current and potential Bosnian suppliers of services and products in the field of information technology, metal, wood, plastic production and processing as well as production and processing of other materials.

The USAID Head of Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Peter Duffy, believes that the story about the diaspora is a very positive story for Bosnia and Herzegovina and that this year's conference gathered as many as 21 companies from the diaspora. ''What we have learned is that the diaspora is showing us that it is possible to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that it is possible to be successful. They give us a good example, showing that one may succeed in spite of all administrative obstacles'', said Duffy.

Also, it was stated that the diaspora is showing that an increasing number of companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina can produce goods and services that are competitive in the European and global market.

According to Duffy, over the past years, companies that cooperated with the USAID gladly invested more than seven million KM in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there are many other companies that other organisations cooperate with and that have invested in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A BAFA-Restart Steering Committee member, Adnan Berberović, said that the ''Restart'' project in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a business embassy of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian diaspora that worked on networking and integration of the diaspora in the business community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ''The goal of today's conference, which gathered more than 160 participants from the IT and metal processing industry, is to bring together as many persons as possible in order to implement joint business ideas in Bosnia and Herzegovina'', stressed Berberović.

According to the CEO of the company ''ZenDev'', Senad Đantić, who acquired his know-how and skills in Sweden, the conference is an opportunity to get in touch with new persons, both at the local and global level. He stressed that it was necessary to cooperate and that one should not be afraid.  

In his opinion, it is necessary to connect persons, because two million in Bosnia and Herzegovina and two million of Bosnian and Herzegovinian diaspora constitute a large number of persons that need to gather in order to cooperate, but it should be organised and should function at the state level.

An example of best practice is also the company ''Sućo'' from Živinice, which produces fire engines, and the CEO of the company, Suad Bešlić, stressed that the contact with the diaspora was very important, that they should be motivated to cooperate, since ''the diaspora was the backbone of Bosnia and Herzegovina''. 

As announced, the second round of the regional competition of the best ''Leader'' business plans will be held in the framework of the event, thanks to the support of the Western Balkans Fund, and the nine winners of ''Leader'' competitions held in May of this year in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia will present their business plans in front of a three-member jury.

The article was published on the portal Klix.ba.