Bank of Valletta, in collaboration with the Gozo Business Chamber, organised a high-level conference entitled “Gozo’s Economy: The Context and Future Direction”, bringing together leading stakeholders from the public and private sectors to discuss the future trajectory of Gozo’s economy and the structural transformations required to strengthen the island’s long-term resilience and competitiveness.
Held at Villa Fiorita, Żebbuġ, the conference provided a timely platform to assess Gozo’s current economic realities within an increasingly complex and uncertain global environment. Discussions focused on economic performance, emerging challenges, future opportunities, and the strategic direction required to support sustainable growth and diversification.
In his presentation, Malcolm Bray, Head of the Economics Unit at Bank of Valletta, outlined the salient features of Gozo’s economy, highlighting both the island’s resilience and the structural challenges that continue to shape its future development. Attention was given to demographic trends, labour market realities, tourism, connectivity, the property market, and the need for a long-term economic vision focused on innovation, sustainability, and higher value-added activity.
Juergen Attard, Senior Manager Policy & Research at the Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA), focused on the opportunities linked to the development of a vibrant start-up ecosystem in Gozo. His intervention highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship education, targeted regional policies, mentoring and start-up support structures, strategic coordination, and the effective utilisation of existing infrastructure to strengthen Gozo’s attractiveness towards knowledge-based and innovative economic activity.
In his opening address, Michael Galea, President of the Gozo Business Chamber, emphasised that Gozo should not seek to replicate Malta’s economic model, but instead continue developing its own distinct economic identity built around innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and higher value-added sectors. He stressed the importance of connectivity, human capital, innovation, and sustainability as key pillars for Gozo’s future development.
During the panel discussion, Daniel Borg, CEO of the Gozo Business Chamber, highlighted the importance of economic diversification towards sustainable and knowledge-based sectors, while stressing the need to strengthen entrepreneurship and educational initiatives from a young age.
Emphasis was placed on the Chamber’s Youth4Entrepreneurship programme and its potential to evolve further into a structured platform supporting future generations of entrepreneurs in Gozo. The importance of stronger regional governance and autonomy was also highlighted, enabling Gozo to better identify and prioritise its own economic realities, opportunities, and strategic direction.
The conference also featured interventions by Kenneth Farrugia, CEO of Bank of Valletta; Ivan Falzon, CEO of the Gozo Regional Development Authority; Mario Buttigieg, CEO of Fiduscorp Limited; and Omar Tanti, CEO of Threls. Discussions focused on investment, innovation, infrastructure, digital transformation, talent retention, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and economic resilience.
Beyond the discussions themselves, the conference also served as an important networking platform, bringing together business leaders, professionals, policymakers, financial institutions, and entrepreneurs for meaningful dialogue and collaboration focused on Gozo’s future development.
The Gozo Business Chamber thanks Bank of Valletta for its collaboration and continued commitment towards initiatives that contribute positively towards Gozo’s economic development.
Related Documents
📄 Agenda – Gozo’s Economy: The Context and Future Direction click here.
🗣️ Intervention by Michael Galea – President, Gozo Business Chamber click here.
