“Sharjah FDI Forum” Gathers Investment Authorities to Highlight Top Trends Across Global Economies

Organisers of the forthcoming Sharjah FDI Forum 2016, held under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and hosted by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) in collaboration with Financial Times and fDi magazine, have highlighted the importance of the event to throw light on foreign direct investment and the global economy.

Taking place on September 28-29, 2016, the two-day Sharjah FDI Forum will bring together an elite group of experts and economists to highlight key investment trends in the region. 

“The Sharjah FDI Forum will examine the most important economic issues on the local, regional and international arenas. The forum will host the participation of senior economists, financial analysts and policy makers, who will meet to discuss seek solutions to the foreign direct investment challenges presented by the current economic climate,” said HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq.

Day one of the Sharjah FDI Forum will see Salem Rashid Al Noaimi, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Waha Capital, will present ‘Taking the Long-Term View on Middle East investments,’ in which he, and Courtney Fingar, Editor in Chief, fDi Magazine, Financial Times, will both outline the investment structure in the region and its attractiveness for international capital. 

The second day of the forum will host a panel discussion ‘Investment trends – What Are the Prospects for FDI in the Middle East and the UAE in the Coming Year?’ Its participants, which include HE Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Henry Loewendahl, Group CEO, WAVTEQ Limited, Awni Rushood, Advisor, Arab Planning Institute Kuwait and Jeffrey Colyer, Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, will each discuss the role of FDI in the world economy, evaluate growth trends and challenges, and analyse the competitive advantages of cities when it comes to the globalisation of innovation. This panel discussion is scheduled to be moderated by Jacopo Dettoni, Deputy Editor, fDi Magazine, Financial Times.

According to the annual world investment report released by the UN Conference on Trade and Investment (UNCTAD), global FDI will reach $1.5 trillion (AED5.5 trillion) in 2016, and $1.7 trillion (AED6.24 trillion) in 2017. The organisers of the Sharjah FDI Forum say that the projected growth in global investment inflows makes the annual conference an important date on the global financial calendar.

“Since the 2008 global financial crisis, the global economy has experienced economic fluctuations that have resulted in a host of exceptional challenges. These have affected the inflow of global foreign direct investment, changed safe havens and raised the risk ratios in cross-border capital flow to unprecedented proportions,” added Al Sarkal. 

Al Sarkal underlined that the Sharjah FDI Forum strives to highlight the of the local economy, which have made it a preferred destination because of its competitive advantages, its advanced facilities for setting up businesses and its sophisticated infrastructure that meets the highest global standards. He reiterated that the event seeks to introduce investors to opportunities offered by various local sectors, mainly tourism and leisure, eco-development, healthcare and transport and logistics.

“The UAE, with the emirate of Sharjah as one of the seven economic growth drivers in the country, has emerged as a safe and rewarding investment destination. It has succeeded in attracting capital from the east and west and has become established as a base for businesspersons and investors seeking a unique environment that offers lucrative returns on invested capital," Al Sarkal continued.

The 2nd edition of the Sharjah FDI Forum has changed its venue to Al Jawaher Reception & Convention Centre, to facilitate the increasing number of participants and speakers confirming their attendance for the event.

“Shurooq works to position Sharjah as the first choice for international investment companies seeking to explore rewarding business opportunities. Sharjah has always welcomed long-term investors, as they pave the way for establishing a sustainable and stable economy that can achieve exemplary growth rates,” he concluded.