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29 March 2024

Abu Dhabi Investment Forum in Paris

Published
By Wam

The Abu Dhabi Investment Forum is set to begin in Paris next Wednesday.

The event is organised by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, with the participation of a high-level official government delegation led by Nasser Ahmed Al Sowaidi, the Chairman Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, in the presence of more than 200 senior French government officials, businessmen and investors.

The Forum will be addressed by Mohammad Mir Abdullah Al Raisi, UAE Ambassador to France, followed by major speeches to be delivered by Nasser Ahmed Al Sowaidi, and Nicole Bricq, the French Minister for Foreign Trade. The two officials will highlight developments in bilateral relations, economic and investment fields, and shed light on investment opportunities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and France, with emphasis on energy, industry, infrastructure and business and finance sectors.

Hamad Abdullah Al Mas, the Executive Director of International Economic Relations Division of the Department of Economic Development, said that this important Forum comes at a time when economic relations between Abu Dhabi and France in particular, and France and the UAE in general, witness rising development. He noted that the forum aims to create more investment opportunities for the two sides in several strategic sectors which constitute essential pillars of sustainable economic development.

Al Mas stressed that Abu Dhabi has become an important Center for investments in the region, due to the great government support enjoyed by major strategic development areas, particularly the alternative energy projects, infrastructure, logistics, finance and business sectors. He emphasized the government focus on strengthening the role of the industrial sector and increasing its contribution to the Emirate's GDP, by attracting more technology and knowledge transfer investments, particularly to the specialized industrial zones.

Al Mas said that the organizing of this forum in Paris stems from the fact that the UAE has become a major economic partner with France, and is the largest market for French products in the Middle East, where France ranked globally as the seventh biggest exporter to UAE, and third largest European exporter to the country, stating that UAE acquired 25% of French exports to the Middle East, and accounted for 33% of French exports to GCC countries.

A number of senior officials from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, will participate in the meetings of the Forum, including Waleed Al Mokarrab, Chief Operating Officer of Mubadala Development, Fahad Al Raqabani, Director of the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development, Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi the Chairman of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, Mohammed Hassan Al Qemzi, the Chief Executive of the Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones, Abdullah Saif Al Nuaimi, the Director of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity, Mohamed Hareb Al Yousef, Executive Director of the Department of Transport, Rashid Al Baluchi, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Mohammed Al Hammadi the Chief Executive of the Nuclear Energy Corporation and a number of experts and senior officials in government agencies and companies in Abu Dhabi.