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Abu Dhabi to host the Annual Investment Meeting in May 2023

Global business leaders, academicians and investors will gather in Abu Dhabi next year to discuss ways of promoting sustainable development and transforming the investment landscape

Abu Dhabi will host the 12th edition of the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) will take place from May 8-10, 2023.

The event will take place under the theme of “The Investment Paradigm Shift: Future Investment Opportunities to Foster Sustainable Economic Growth, Diversity, and Prosperity”.

At a press conference held in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, officials made the announcement of the launch of AIM Global 2023 － which is supported by the Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technologies, with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) as a lead partner, in the presence of Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Vice Chairman of the UAE Industry Development Council and Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of ADDED.

The Annual Investment Meeting 2023 will be attended by decision-makers, investors, experts, and academic figures from all over the world, who will gather to discuss the shift in the global investment landscape in a global environment characterized by geo-political & economic challenges and its impacts on the attraction of foreign direct investments, and financing vital economic sectors as entrepreneurship, startups, and SMEs.

The Annual Investment Meeting will also address new trends in the current global digital transformation that’s being experienced by developing & developed economies. AIM Global 2023 will feature many sessions & workshops that discuss vital topics, including Future Cities, how to use innovative technologies to address the increasing demands, the business sector’s ability to keep abreast of the fast changes, the future role of Startups & SMEs, and the importance of innovation in achieving growth against a strong competitive background. Also, AIM Global 2023 pillars will discuss the global capital market transformation, ways to improve the flexibility of global supply chains to benefit from growth opportunities, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution & AI technologies in the years to come.

r. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Vice Chairman of the UAE Industry, Development Council, lauded AIM’s ability to change its activities to keep abreast of the new changes in the global economy and praised AIM Global 2023’s gathering of all investment stakeholders in an effort to overcome the current obstacles to achieve sustainable economic development & prosperity for the world via several paths, including Digitization, Sustainability, Industrialization, and Free Trade.

“AIM Global 2023 will enable the UAE to increase its contribution to the regional & international efforts that aim to enhance the global business landscape reiterating the UAE’s status as a trade & investment hub, regionally and globally, as well as enhance the UAE’s position on the global investment map and occupy advanced ranks among the top 20 global destinations that attract foreign investment,” the Minister of State for Foreign Trade added.

Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of ADDED said: “We’re pleased to host AIM 2023 in Abu Dhabi, which has established its position as a preferred destination for business & investments due to its proactive, open approach in dealing with changes. AIM is a suitable platform to discuss new trends and ways to deal with changes and developments in the global economic landscape.

“Abu Dhabi has made great strides in achieving its economic diversification strategy, laying down a solid foundation to continue developing a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.

“We are fostering and incentivizing activities and talents to help find solutions to current and future challenges, as well as continuously enhancing a business ecosystem that provides investors with growth opportunities to achieve the goals of sustainable economic & social development,” Al Shorafa added.

The AIM Global 2023 will comprise several features, including the Exhibition, Investment Roundtables, Investment Destinations Presentations, Investment Awards, Startups Awards, Investors Hub and G2G, G2B & B2B Meetings.

The AIM Global 2023 aims to attract foreign direct investments to the UAE’S vital economic sectors, increasing the private sector contribution to boosting sustainable development and increasing the contribution of non-oil sectors to GDP.

Dawood El Shezawi, President of the Annual Investment Meeting, said: “We are glad to continue the vital role that the Annual Investment Meeting has been playing since 2011. In line with our belief in the necessity of constantly keeping abreast of the latest changes, the 12th edition of AIM provides an interactive platform that makes it possible for all stakeholders in the global investment landscape to network and cooperate to discuss investment mechanisms & latest developments in a way that benefits all stakeholders, including investors, businesses, and investment-attracting countries. AIM 2023 provides countries and all participants with an opportunity to shed light on their investment attractiveness in a way that helps them boost their economic growth”.

Several features will be held on the sidelines of AIM Global 2023, including the LDC Forum in cooperation with WAIPA, the Global Entrepreneurs Forum, in Cooperation with UNIDO and the Union of Arab Chambers, Bloomberg New Energy Finance Forum, and the Future of Finance Forum in cooperation with the Union of Arab Banks.

The UAE has become, over recent years, one of the top FDI-attracting countries worldwide. The nation has been ranked as the number one country in the Arab world and the 19th country globally for its ability to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), according to the World Investment Report 2022, issued by UNCTAD. The report found that the UAE also ranked 17th globally for FDI outflows, which totaled $22.5 billion in 2021, a 19 percent increase over 2020.