Fouad Takla Construction Company has been operating in Syria since the early 1960s. It played a big part in the development projects of the 1970s, survived the austerities of the 1980s, witnessed the promises of the 1990s and seized the opportunities of the new millennium.

Up to the end of the 20th century the local building industry had sufficed the development needs of Syria, but when the government increased the pace of opening up the economy at the beginning of the 21st century, the nature of the industry had to change.

The influx of direct foreign investments attracted all sorts of international construction industry stakeholders to Syria. For the first time in its history, Fouad Takla Construction Company had to compete with seven international construction companies for the tender to build the Damascus Four Seasons hotel in 2001.

There are at the moment many international design and construction companies who have set foot in the Syrian construction industry, and they are continuously playing a bigger role in the nation’s new development needs. It is, therefore, that the importance of the “Building Nation - Buna” initiative becomes very clear.

The indigenous Syrian construction industry stakeholders should not see the new international companies as a threat but rather as an opportunity to strengthen the industry, and the Buna initiative plays a big role in laying down the cards and showing the genuine partners in the development process of the nation.

The information and specifications that the Buna initiative provides will help maintain a platform for fair and just competition that is in the best interest of the Syrian building industry.

Omar Fouad Takla
Managing Partner
Fouad Takla Company
www.fouadtakla.com