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INTERVIEW

Artan Sako

CEO, 2T Ltd.

Established in the year 2000, 2T Ltd. focuses on civil and industrial engineering projects such as sewage systems, water supply, residential buildings and road construction. With over 20,000 km of roads in Albania and major projects in the pipeline, the sector is ripe for investment as the country works to adapt to European road standards.

What are some of the projects you are working on?

We are working with foreign partners, including some from Saudi Arabia, on maintenance contracts. We are also partnering with an Italian company, and with the Albanian road authority and the World Bank on a number of projects. We have worked on a successful water treatment project with help from an experienced German supervisor who helped us deal with arising problems. And we have a soil stabilization project in the Elbasan area, which is at the last stage of completion. Part of our success lies in the fact that we have worked with an EU delegation and with foreign supervisors who have helped us with their expertise. We have been learning a lot by working with experienced people.

We have been learning a lot by working with experienced people

What is your main area of expertise?

We are experts at sewage systems and water treatment. Through a World Bank investment, we are working on a sewage system project in Durres. We have experience with different projects in this area.

What makes you competitive?

The professional way in which we deal with staff and other business partners, and the quality of our work.

What are the most urgent technical issues Albania has to solve?

The most important issues are quality and safety. For two years we’ve been working on a maintenance contract, and road users are seeing the difference already. We have good cooperation with the Albanian road authority, and we expect further good results in the future. The community is also involved through a digital platform where they can report issues. Albania is not the way it used to be: there is a big change in the way winter road maintenance is performed now, and road access has improved greatly.

We see the company growing in infrastructure, because we already have the staff, the equipment and the expertise

What are you doing to uphold transparency and corporate governance?

We have a saying in Albania: you are not who you are, you are who people say you are. There is corruption in the country, we do not deny it, but we have always been transparent about our own work and have never had problems. What keeps a company growing is the quality and transparency of its work.

How can German investors participate in infrastructure development?

Our company’s equipment is from a German partner that we work with. We had a German supervisor for our water treatment project, and their experience helped us significantly. 

Where do you see the company growing in the coming years?

In infrastructure, because we already have the staff, the equipment and the expertise. Road construction and sewage systems are likely development areas.

Is your company at a stage where you can consider projects in other countries in the region?

We have been participating in projects in Kosovo and Macedonia. Albania is a small country and there are a lot of companies fighting for business, so this sort of regional expansion could be a solution.

Albania is not the way it used to be: there is a big change in the way winter road maintenance is performed now, and road access has improved greatly

What future projects are you considering?

We are considering private investment in tourism and in energy. We are investing in hydropower stations as well.

How would EU membership impact your company?

This will be positive for us, by bringing higher standards, higher quality, perhaps more investment as well. The visa liberalization represents a lot of progress. We have an Italian partner with a lot of projects in Romania, and we are hoping that EU membership will make it is easier for us to access projects.

What is your final message to potential investors?

Compared with the past, the country is now a safe place for private investments. Corruption is still a delicate topic, but all developing countries have faced this issue. And our own company is highly professional, serious and experienced.

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