Abu Dhabi: The Dep-artment of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi will kick off the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum in Tokyo tomorrow.
Senior government officials headed by Nasser Ahmad Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department Economic Development, will participate.
The forum aims to shed light on opportunities and investment incentives offered by Abu Dhabi in infrastructure, energy, finance and industry.
The forum will also reflect the interest of the Abu Dhabi government in promoting economic and investment relations with Japan.
The UAE is Japan's biggest trading partner in the Gulf.
The holding of the forum comes at a time when the balance of trade with Japan achieved a surplus in favour of the UAE.
Japan's imports from the UAE accounted for $29.2 billion (Dh107 billion) in 2010, up 28.4 per cent from 2009, while Japan's exports to the UAE reached $7.3 billion, up 12.4 per cent over 2009.
Al Suwaidi's opening speech is expected to highlight the most important investment opportunities offered by Abu Dhabi which will form the backbone of the strategic partnership between the UAE capital and Japan.
He is also expected to focus on the development of bilateral trade and investment in non-oil sectors, especially in knowledge-based fields.
The forum will have five sessions, starting with an opening session with keynote speeches from both sides.
This will be followed by a presentation by Fahd Saeed Al Raqabani, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development, and a panel discussion on the overall investment opportunities involving the Abu Dhabi Economic Council, Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Sessions
The first session will discuss investment opportunities in Abu Dhabi's industrial sector.
Among those designated to lead the discussion together with officials from relevant authorities are: Mohammad H. Al Qamzi, CEO of ZonesCorp and Senior Vice President of the Abu Dhabi Polymers Park at ADBIC; Khaled Salmeen Al Kawari, Executive Director of the Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad), and Salman Abdullah, Deputy Director of Operations at Emirates Aluminum (Emal).
The second session will discuss investments in the energy sector.
To lead the panel discussion are: Badr Al Lamki, Director of Carbon Management Unit at Masdar, and Sultan Al Muhairi, Director of Marketing and Refining at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), and Salem Al Daheri, Adviser at the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea).
The third session will highlight the orientations of the Abu Dhabi government, and inform the business community, investors and government agencies in Japan of the investment opportunities in the infrastructure sector.
Discussions will be led by Falah Mohammad Al Ahbabi, General Manager of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council; Richard Bowker, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice-President of Etihad Airways.
The fourth session will discuss the investment opportunities in the financial sector with Salem Al Salem al Mazroui, Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia); Qambar Ali Al Mulla, Senior General Manager of NBAD's International Banking Division; Rashid Al Baloushi, Deputy CEO of ADX, and Padmanabaha Mishra of ADCB.
The forum will conclude with a workshop in which a presentation by Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad) will focus on the strategy of the zone aimed at attracting international companies through the adoption of best industry practices in the region, offering investors a competitive low-cost operational environment, in addition to easy access to local and global markets, within an advanced sea, land and air transport network, which strengthened the global competitive position of Abu Dhabi.
