Dubai: The total value of the UAE foreign direct investment (FDI) touched Dh2 trillion in the last ten years, Abdul Rahman Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, foreign trade sector, said on the sidelines of the Annual Investment Meeting 2014 (AIM) on Thursday.
In 2013, the UAE FDI flows increased by 20 per cent in 2013 from $9.6 billion in 2012 to $11.5 billion in 2013, he said.
“The UAE’s share in the FDI inflow leads the investment performance in the Middle East and Africa while it accounts for 34 per cent of the overall FDI inflows into the Gulf.”
Al Saleh attributed the UAE’s performance to the conducive business environment backed by its unique features and advantages like its strategic location, logistics infrastructure and flexibility.
“The UAE has succeeded in attracting FDI through globalisation and its role as a prominent player in the modernised economy,” he added.
According to United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), FDI inflow in to the Middle East valued at $39.7 billion in 2012, up from the 2011 value of $37.2 billion.
The top destination of FDI in the Middle East in 2012 was Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Lebanon and Iraq.
While the current number of FDI inflows to the UAE estimated at 220 investments has increased by 27 per cent in the last two years, private sector share in these investments stands at 65 per cent, according to Al Saleh. “This proves the importance of the public-private partnership policy that was adopted in the UAE.”
He added that private sector is the main UAE partner across all economic and social development projects as well its helps creating more job opportunities.
He further said that the total value of the UAE investments abroad registered at $2.5 billion in 2013.
