Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma left for Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026, scheduled from January 19 to 23, where he will present Assam’s growth story on a global stage.
At the five-day summit, Sarma will engage with leading industrialists, global CEOs, economists, and heads of institutions, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation. The visit marks a milestone for the state, as he becomes the first Chief Minister from Assam to participate in the WEF, significantly boosting the state’s global economic outreach.
The Chief Minister is expected to use the Davos platform to highlight Assam’s governance reforms, industrial expansion, and emphasis on technology-driven and inclusive development. Significantly, the Centre has allowed Assam to represent India at the WEF alongside other leading states—an opportunity traditionally extended to more industrially advanced regions—signalling growing national confidence in Assam’s economic trajectory.
Sarma’s participation follows closely on the heels of the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit, raising expectations that engagements at Davos will lead to fresh investment proposals and strategic partnerships for the state.
During the summit, the Chief Minister is scheduled to hold over 17 high-level meetings and sign several memoranda of understanding. He will take part in discussions on building a future-ready workforce, travel and tourism as a potential multi-trillion-dollar global sector, health and healthcare, and emerging industries, while pitching Assam as an attractive investment destination within India’s broader economic transformation.
Founded in 1971 by economist Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum is a non-profit organisation and among the world’s most influential platforms for dialogue on global economic growth, geopolitics, technology and investment. Its Annual Meeting, held every January in Davos—a mountain resort town in Switzerland’s Graubünden canton—brings together heads of state and government, ministers, central bank governors, global investors, and corporate leaders to shape key international economic and policy conversations.