The Technology and Economic Development Zone (TEDA) signed the first contract with a foreign company, which operates in Albania, although the works in the zone are not yet finished and its area is surrounded by the deep wells of the ghost plant of Kashari .
Despite the fact that TEDA was designed to attract foreign investors from all over the world to invest in Albania, the Israeli company that signed the first contract in the field of technology has been operating in our country since 2022 and by December 2024, only one foreign company had expressed interest in investing in our country.
According to public data, the 5 tenders for the development of works by the Municipality of Tirana in the TEDA area exceed the value of 100 million new lek, while 3 of them have been assessed with a red flag.
Global technology center
A few meters from the “ghost” Wastewater Treatment Plant and very close to the wells with the “Danger” sign on the muddy streets of Kashari, lies the 35-hectare space of the Technology and Economic Development Zone (TEDA), otherwise known as the first free economic zone in Albania.
Despite the road infrastructure and environmental pollution due to the capital’s sewage spillage in that area, TEDA is a project that aims to bring investors from all over the world to Albania in the field of technology and innovation.
Today, 28.02.2025, the first agreement was signed with an Israeli company that will invest in TEDA.
In the presence of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation, Blendi Gonxhja, and the Ambassador of Israel to Albania, Galit Peleg, today, February 28, 2025, the agreement in the field of technology was signed between the Tirana Municipality Free Economic Zone (TEDA) and the Israeli company “HAPI Advanced Technologies LTD”.
TEDA is designed as a technological and economic development zone competitive for the global economic market, the works of which are estimated to be completed in March 2026. By December of last year, 2024, according to the response that the Investment Development Agency (AIDA) made available to “shteg.org”, only one company had expressed interest in applying its projects in the TEDA zone.
“After verifications carried out at our institution, only one company, “CVMR” Corporation, which is a Canadian company, a global leader in metal production technology, has expressed its interest in applying in the TEDA sector,” the official response states, while specifying that the application in December was in the first phase of the expression of interest and the signing of an agreement has not yet been achieved.
But unlike the official response that AIDA made available to “shteg.org”, in January 2025, during the launch of the second phase of construction that foresees the construction of buildings, the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, stated that there were several companies that expressed interest in implementing in Albania.
“We are the first pioneers in this experiment . We have some first companies from Israel and other EU countries that want to install themselves here,” Veliaj declared last month.
Meanwhile, the Israeli company with which TEDA signed the technology development agreement, according to data in Open Corporates, was founded by the Israeli parent company in 2022 with an initial capital of 100 lek . This company mainly offers consultancy, design, supply, installation and implementation of networks and IT and cyber services and solutions.
Strategic investor haven
Currently, TEDA resembles a barren field, the importance of which is only determined by the pale information board of the Municipality of Tirana.
According to official data, this project extends over an area of 35 hectares and has the possibility of expanding by another 15 hectares, reaching 50 hectares, while today Minister Gonxha stated that this project, costing 100 million euros, is expected to create 7,000 jobs.
“Thanks to this investment, which is expected to reach the value of 100 million euros by the end of its term, we will create the conditions to develop industries such as automotive, pharmaceutical, ICT, Hi-Tech, high-precision equipment, robotics industry, technological production, etc. It is estimated that upon completion, TEDA Tirana will generate over 7 thousand quality jobs, with high salaries,” said Minister Gonxhja, while the place where this project is being implemented is located a few meters away from Wastewater Treatment Plant in Kashar, another project with a budget of 100 million euros, but non-functional for the city.
According to a decision adopted in 2021 by the Strategic Investment Committee, upon the proposal of the Municipality of Tirana and signed by Prime Minister Rama, TEDA maintains the status as “Strategic Investment/Investor, Special Procedure”.
“The status ‘Strategic Investment/Investor, Special Procedure’ is granted to the investment project ‘Technological and Economic Development Zone (TEDA) Tirana’ proposed by the Municipality of Tirana, for a period of 4 (four) years,” the decision states, while the year 2025 marks the end of maintaining this status, even though the works have not yet been completed.
Meanwhile, the Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA) informs “shteg.org” that this agency is the administrative structure competent for providing services to investors who apply and seek to benefit from the status of “Strategic investment/investor, assisted/special procedure”.
According to the Strategic Investment Law to which AIDA refers in carrying out its function, investors in various sectors of the economy must invest 30 million euros or more to obtain the status of “Strategic investment/investor, assisted procedure” and 50 million euros or more to obtain the status of “Strategic investment/investor, special procedure”.
“ In implementation and for the purpose of this law, namely Article 8, strategic sectors have also been defined, where among other things the “Technology and Economic Development Zone” (TEDA) sector is also foreseen,” the agency’s response states.
Tenders with “red flags”
According to data published in Open Procurement, the Municipality of Tirana has opened 5 tenders for the implementation of works in the TEDA area, which include the visibility study, supervision of works and construction of internal environments. Of these tenders, two have resulted regular and the other 3, which are related to the construction and supervision of works in the third lot, as well as the construction of internal services, have been assessed with “red flags”, which understands the concern for exposure to illegal acts, mainly corruption during the tendering process.
According to the contracts, the value of the tenders won so far has exceeded 100 million lek.
A “RedFlag” or “Red Flag” note indicates a concern or exposure and potential risk to legal compliance, regarding corrupt practices and non-compliance with anti-corruption laws.
Also, a “RedFlag” note indicates that the procurement competition was conducted with a single competitor. Albanian law allows for these types of procedures, but often they, more than a lack of competition, show options for formulating criteria in favor of a premeditated company.
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