Gandhinagar: The 11th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, scheduled for Jan 10 to 12, 2027, at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, will place a strong emphasis on expanding export opportunities, leveraging India’s recently signed free trade agreements (FTAs) and connecting businesses with potential buyers through AI-enabled matchmaking.Under the theme “Viksit Gujarat: Shaping Global Future”, the summit is expected to feature eight sector-specific sessions on FTAs, alongside roundtable discussions on trade and investment opportunities, tariff and non-tariff barriers, and workshops on rules of origin, compliance, export financing, logistics and quality standards.“Gujarat govt is working with the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) under the Union govt to organise these sessions. Some engagements are also planned in the run-up to the summit in Gujarat,” additional chief secretary, industries and mines department, Mamta Verma said.The FTA-focused sectors will include textiles and apparel, chemicals and petrochemicals, electronics and semiconductors, engineering, agriculture and marine products, gems and jewellery, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices, and services, including IT/ITeS, AI and fintech.The summit will also focus on improving export readiness and international market access for the state’s One District One Product (ODOP) offerings. Reverse buyer-seller meets and vendor development programmes are planned to connect Gujarat’s MSMEs with a wider pool of national and international buyers, building on similar initiatives organised during Vibrant Gujarat regional conferences.Top officials said another planned feature is an AI-enabled business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-govt (B2G) meeting facility on the Vibrant Gujarat portal and app. Businesses will be able to identify domestic and international partners and buyers and connect with central and state govt officials for business-related queries.The summit will cover emerging sectors such as aerospace and defence, green energy, semiconductors, AI and quantum computing, data centres, critical minerals, electric vehicles, shipbuilding, fintech, circular economy and global capability centres (GCCs).“However, traditional sectors, including agro and food processing, engineering, auto components, chemicals and petrochemicals, tourism, gems and jewellery, pharmaceuticals and textiles, will also feature prominently in the summit,” Verma said.Global Trade Show, planned alongside the summit, will include partnership pavilions and thematic exhibitions and will run from Jan 9 to 13, sources said.
