As global investment sees a bumpy recovery with worldwide foreign direct investment (FDI) flows dipping to $1.52 trillion (Dh5.58 trillion) last year from $1.81 trillion in 2016, as per the World Investment Report by the United Nations Council on Trade and Development, the eighth edition of the
Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) seeks to address the issues affecting FDI. The event starts today and runs until April 11 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Spread over 8,000 metres of exhibition space, the current edition sees more than 20,000 investors, financial institutions, institutional investors, delegates, government officials and participants in the mix attending exhibitions, conferences, country presentations, an investors’ hub, investment awards and capacity–building workshops, all of which aim to attract investment in specific economic sectors and free zones or special economic zones.
From a head of state to government ministers and representatives to business leaders from 140 participating countries as well as 50 country pavilions and over 100 investment promotion agencies (IPAs) will all seek to help nations promote their respective investment climate.
Government leaders and their IPAs will appeal to the institutional and private investor groups to secure maximum FDI from a global pool of trillions of dollars’ worth of investment through country presentations and investor match-making meetings. World-renowned speakers from private and public institutions including high-level officials from the UAE, Russia, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Tatarstan, Portugal and more are expected to address a three-day conference at the summit.
The conference focuses on a series of topics including driving sustainable development through FDI; investment in the fourth industrial revolution; how technology is changing the future of productivity and growth; public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects; and sovereign wealth and private equity funds and their role in investment.
AIM is also hosting a full-day workshop series that explores emerging technologies and opportunities for investment promotion agencies; how to develop successful city-regional economies; the role of chambers of commerce in achieving sustainable development goals and the role of marketing and communications in investment promotion.
Speakers from reputed brands in the UAE including Mubadala, LuLu Group and the Kanoo Group will share their knowledge on FDI while big investors including Emaar, Etisalat, Al Majdouie Investment, Jumeirah Group, Dubai Investments, Loukil Holding, LuLu Group, Sharjah Asset Management and Mubadala Investment will explore investment opportunities during the summit.
New investment projects will be launched for the first time through an array of activities including country presentations, G2G, G2B and B2B networking features, and the AIM Start-up Innovation Showcase and Startup Competition.
