UAE Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Ministry of Economy will organise the first Highflyers Forum on 14 January 2014 , which will highlight the successes of more than 130 UAE companies that have operations and investments abroad.
The Forum is expected to serve as a platform to underline the experiences and expertise of UAE companies that have investments abroad across the world, which has a total cumulative value of about Dh350 billion, according to UNCTAD.
At the Forum, a group of prominent CEOs of UAE companies operating abroad will highlight their successes in foreign markets, the challenges they face and their strategies for future overseas expansion in international markets.
Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, stressed that the open policy adopted by the UAE to the world, and the unlimited government support for entrepreneurship have contributed to the emergence of regional suppliers with global ambition in operations. This has enabled companies from the UAE to have their presence in more than 100 countries around the world.
"The UAE foreign investments have gained global reputation as a result of its success in achieving geographical and sectoral diversity and directed those investments toward strengthening the global economy by creating employment opportunities in developing and developed countries," added Al Mansouri.
Al Mansouri said that the UAE has maintained its leadership in the Middle East and Africa in foreign direct investment abroad, reaching US$ 2.5 billion in 2012, an increase of US$ 358 million and a growth rate of 16 percent compared to 2011. The number of FDI projects of the UAE abroad increased by 26.5 percent to 220 compared to 174 in 2011. He added that the UAE's share of FDI abroad amounted to 34 percent of the total investment of the region.
Source: WAM