Lokesh pitches AP to Blackstone, Brookfield
Vijayawada/Davos: In a strong signal of Andhra Pradesh’s growing global investment appeal, minister for education, IT and electronics Nara Lokesh held high-level, back-to-back meetings with the leadership of the world’s two largest alternative asset managers — Blackstone and Brookfield Asset Management — on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 in Davos.
Minister Lokesh met Stephen A Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone, and separately held discussions with Connor Teskey, president of Brookfield Asset Management. Together, Blackstone and Brookfield manage nearly $2 trillion in assets under management, spanning infrastructure, real estate, clean energy, digital platforms, logistics, and transition investing.
During discussions with Blackstone, Lokesh showcased Andhra Pradesh’s readiness for large, institution-grade investments across Grade-A commercial office spaces, integrated mixed-use urban developments, port-linked industrial and logistics parks, renewable energy projects, and hyperscale data centres. Opportunities across Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, Rayalaseema, and the CBIC–VCIC industrial corridors were highlighted.
The interaction focused on leveraging the state’s fast-growing urban centres, port-led industrialisation strategy, and execution-driven governance framework to enable long-term real asset investments at scale.
Blackstone’s global expertise in office platforms, logistics parks, mixed-use developments, and digital infrastructure was seen as closely aligned with Andhra Pradesh’s ambition to build globally competitive cities anchored in sustainability and growth.
In a separate meeting with Brookfield Asset Management, Minister Lokesh reviewed progress since earlier engagements in London and discussed accelerating the Andhra Pradesh–Brookfield partnership. Key focus areas included fast-tracking clean-energy-powered, gigawatt-scale data centre investments in Visakhapatnam, along with energy storage, solar manufacturing, and green hydrogen pilot projects near port-led industrial clusters.
The discussions also covered Brookfield’s ongoing renewable energy deployments in the state through Evren, the Brookfield–Axis Energy platform, which is executing large-scale solar and hybrid renewable projects. These initiatives align with Andhra Pradesh’s vision of providing round-the-clock green power to industries, digital infrastructure, and future hydrogen value chains.
The consecutive engagements with the world’s largest long-term capital providers at WEF 2026 underline Andhra Pradesh’s renewed momentum, credibility, and investment readiness.
“When global long-term capital leaders engage Andhra Pradesh in quick succession, it reflects confidence in our scale, governance, and ambition,” the minister said, reiterating the state’s commitment to translating global partnerships into jobs, infrastructure, and inclusive growth.
The Davos meetings reaffirm that Andhra Pradesh is firmly back on the global investment map—decisive, open, and moving fast.
