Egypt, India among AIM award winners

Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary for Foreign Trade, UAE Ministry of Economy; Filippe De Potter, deputy director, inward investment, Flanders Investment Trade of Belgium; and Jamal Al Jarwan, secretary-general of the UAE International Investors Council; at the AIM Awards ceremony in Dubai.

Egypt's General Authority for Investment received the award for being the best Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) in the Middle East and North Africa region at the Annual Investment Meeting Awards held at a gala ceremony in Dubai, while the Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency became the runner-up.

IPAs play a great role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) into an economy and help create employment as well as reduce poverty.

Invest India won the best award for the South, East Asia and Oceania region while Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency was adjudged the runner-up.

Flanders Investment Trade of Belgium won the award for Europe while Britain's Department for International Trade became the runner-up in Europe. Kazakh Invest was the winner in the Central Asia, Caucasus and Russia region while Uzbekistan Committee of Investment became runner-up for promoting inward investment into their respective countries.

In the Central, Eastern Europe and Turkey region, Serbia's Vojvodina Development Agency won the best award while Slovakia's Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency was adjudged runner-up. In East Africa, the Ethiopian Investment Commission won the best award while Rwanda Development Board was runner-up.

In West and Central Africa region, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre won the best award while Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission became runner-up.

In Southern Africa region, Swaziland Investment Promotion Agency won the best award, while Economic Development Board of Mauritius became runner-up. Invest Saint Lucia won the best award in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, while ProNicaragua has been adjudged the runner-up.

Dawood Al Shezawi, president of Annual Investment Meeting (AIM), said: "The AIM Awards are a reflection of the strength of the investment promotion agencies of these particular countries in branding and attracting investment that helps these countries to develop their economies fast and create jobs.

"AIM has been playing a crucial role in supporting the IPAs to build their capacity to attract investment and the results are very clear. These IPAs are shining examples and other IPAs could take inspiration from them. We wish them all continued success."

- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com