“The growth will lead to more investments, more jobs... It will be an exponential growth in the coming years and you will see a situation where more poverty is eradicated and more opportunities are there for young people,” Brende told PTI in an interview in the national capital.

Brende, who was on a short visit to India, had discussions about ongoing collaborations as well as India’s G20 presidency with stakeholders. He met various Union Ministers and company executives, among others. “I think that nations in the developing world have something to learn from India. India is the largest democracy in the world and it is also an open society with entrepreneurs and innovators and free speech,” he said. Further, Brende highlighted that India has more of a broad ecosystem of startups than in any other developing country and that is growing. This is something that other countries can also be inspired by, he added. Geneva-headquartered WEF is an international organisation for public private cooperation, and is known for its annual Davos meeting, often described as the biggest congregation of the global elite. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. This year, WEF expects almost 6 per cent economic growth for India and will be the highest growth for any big economies of the world, he said.