Dubai Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI), an agency of the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED), successfully concluded an official global mission to the United States, visiting Columbus and Cincinnati in Ohio, which has resulted in negotiations with several US companies who have expressed interest in investing in Dubai over the coming period. The mission aimed towards attracting American businesses into investing across key industries in Dubai and the UAE. The success of the visit has created a better understanding of the emirate's competitive edge as one of the world's leading business hubs.
Dubai FDI-led business mission was the agency’s initial thrust into the Central US market. Seminars, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one meetings were held in collaboration with Dubai FDI’s US partners, including Columbus 2020; law firm Foster Brown Todd, which represents Cincinnati’s Fortune 500 companies as among its clients; and the US-UAE Business Council. Over 100 participants from a range of sectors - including innovation tourism, healthcare, education, defense, aviation, automotive, logistics, technology sector, and government - actively took part in the interactive discussions and meaningful exchange of ideas during the programs.
High-level speakers from Dubai FDI, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), Dubai South, Emirates Group, the US-UAE Business Council, UAE Embassy to Washington, and the Columbus Rickenbacker International Cargo Airport led the comprehensive discussions and presentations. They particularly showcased Dubai’s advantages in providing a growth and expansion platform for global companies, with emphasis on the cosmopolitan city’s competitiveness, ease of doing business, sustainability, and state-of-the-art export, re-export and transport infrastructure.
“We are pleased to report on the success of our recent business mission to the US—visiting the country’s top investment hotspots in the Midwestern State of Ohio. During our events in Columbus and Ohio, several conference participants met with Dubai FDI and other delegates to specifically discuss their particular interests. It was a fruitful exchange indeed, with the mission allowing us to raise the profile of Dubai in this important global market and demonstrate the emirate’s interest in developing mutually beneficial business development partnerships. We were also given an opportunity to engage with government and private sector representatives to advance trade opportunities and investment interests for Dubai with the US market,” said Khalid Al Boom, Deputy CEO of Dubai FDI.
The UAE participants in Columbus and Cincinnati were composed of high-profile officials and executives, which included Khalid Al Boom, Deputy CEO of Dubai FDI; Walid Marhoon, Senior Manager, Investment Promotion; Al Hinton, Advisor; Mohammed Mohammed, Senior Manager, DMCC; Ahmed Al Ansari Advisor to the Executive Chairman, Dubai South; Danny Sebright, President, US-UAE Business Council (Washington); Jonathan Garon, Trade Specialist, UAE Embassy Washington; Camelia El-Haj Mesek, Senior Sales Executive Central USA, The Emirates Group; and Jens Engelbrechtsen, Regional Cargo Manager Central USA, SkyCargo.
Columbus and Cincinnati join a growing list of US cities Dubai FDI has covered as part of its Global Mission Programme to establish partnerships with investors and enablers in the private sector and government. The Global Mission Programme is in line with the goal of Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 to turn the emirate into an international hub for knowledge-based, innovation-driven and sustainable industrial activities.
According to Al Boom, the UAE-US bilateral trade totaled nearly AED 90 billion in 2017, while Ohio was the 7th largest US exporter to the UAE in 2016.
Dubai FDI was established to promote and facilitate foreign investment in key strategic sectors of Dubai. As a non-profit partner for overseas companies and investors offering comprehensive business advisory and networking assistance services, Dubai FDI is committed to transform business investment potentials to reality and to make the emirate a preferred business destination with world-class infrastructure, strategic location, and a business-friendly environment.
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