ADCCI to host business forum

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), in coordination with the Italian and Jordanian business councils is organising the seventh International Business Groups Forum in the capital on March 12.

During the event, which represents a networking platform for 21 business councils participating this year, entrepreneurs will explore investment opportunities with their respective counterparts.

"The success story of the joint businessmen councils has already borne fruit in the form of strategic partnerships and joint ventures. We aim to increase our support to this trend, as it provides for a major drive for foreign direct investments in Abu Dhabi," said Salah Al Shamsi, chairman of ADCCI.

The Jordanian community is one of the largest expatriate communities in the UAE, and investment figures are consistently growing, while the number of Italian companies operating in the country has increased by about 30 per cent in 2007 compared to the previous year, indicating the strong growth in trade and business ties between the two countries.

"We keep receiving many new Italian entre-preneurs every month, which reflects that the UAE is becoming a popular investment destination for Italy. We have about 100 Italian companies operating in the UAE now, 40 to 50 of which are in Abu Dhabi," Dario Barisoni, chairman of the Italian Business Group of Abu Dhabi told Gulf News.