Abu Dhabi, UAE, 15 November 2015

The 17th Arab Investors and Businessmen Conference (ABIC 2015), which will be held on 16 and 17 November under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, attracts around 1500 investors from 22 countries. The conference is putting on display 30 investment projects. It is also discussing 6 topics and gathering around 100 high level officials.

Held under the theme "Investing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation" at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel in Abu Dhabi, ABIC 2015 gathers ministers of economy, officials from trade, agriculture, industry chambers, specialised economic bodies, banks and financial institutions, investment promoting agencies in Arab countries, as well as Arab entrepreneurs and investors.

There are six main topics to be discussed during ABIC, which are Leadership and Innovation in the Framework of UAE Vision 2021, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Agriculture, Industry, and Energy Sectors, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Services Sector and Environment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Financial Sector and Policies and Initiatives to Develop Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Arab Countries.

"The aim of hosting the event in the UAE is to provide a comprehensive investment platform that highlights everything that has to do with investing in entrepreneurship and innovation. Thanks to the efforts of the organising committee, partners and sponsors, we were able to confirm the participation of wide range of the most important decision-makers and economists pioneers in their fields," said HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of the 17th Arab Businessmen and Investors Conference.

"Held in the final quarter of 'The Year of Innovation' in the UAE, the 17th ABIC highlights the efforts of the UAE to promote innovation in all aspects of investment. We will exchange our experiences with visitors and participants to identify further successful policies in entrepreneurship, innovation and investment," added Al Mansoori.

"The 17th edition of ABIC is a key edition in terms of topic discussion and participation. With the support of sponsors and partners, the organising committee was able to secure display of variety of investment projects to enhance investments exchange in the Arab region," said HE Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary, UAE Ministry of Economy, President of the 17th Arab Businessmen and Investors Conference Higher Committee.

HE Mohammed Thani Murshid Al-Rumiathi, Chairman of the Federation of the UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, co-organisers of the 17th ABIC, said the theme of "Investing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation" makes Arab economies more reliant on knowledge. The focus in the past was toward business enterprise itself and now moved to the human capital. Our goal in co-organising the event is to open communication channels between the Arab economies, and focus on the types of investments that bring secure and sustainable results for the future. We have cooperated with the organising committee to initiate many discussions for micro-enterprises SMEs."

"We have made sure to fulfil our organising part the best possible, so we secured big turnout of participations and confirm presence of high-level figures. We consider the 17th ABIC as one of the most important Arab investment meetings, which enables tremendous economic collaborations in the future," said Al-Rumiathi.

"We have seen significant efforts undertaken by the all organising parties. On the sidelines of ABIC, the Arab Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award will take place to identify the most important Arab investments and discus ways of joint cooperation among them," commented HE Dr. Imad Shehab, Secretary General of the General Union of Arab Chambers.

"We are delighted to co-organise the 17th Arab Investors and Businessmen Conference 2015 and sponsor the event which will be held under the theme "Investing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation". This event will be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, which is inline with HH interest in promoting economic and investment cooperation between companies and institutions operating in the Arab countries," said HE Mohammed Hilal Al Muhairi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Al Muhairi stressed that Abu Dhabi Chamber considers this conference an important one to boost cooperation between Arab and international organisations in the fields of development of entrepreneurs and further creativity and innovation in their projects, which can have an effective contribution to achieving comprehensive and sustainable economic and social development in the Arab countries.

Al Muhairi elaborated that the conference and the exhibition provide unique opportunities for participants to share expertise, learn about the successful case-studies, and identify investment opportunities, especially since many Arab companies and investors who will promote their projects are seeking potential partners. The conference panels represent a significant occasion for local businessmen and managers working to review innovative projects and support SMEs, as well as develop future work plans across several vital sectors, in addition to reviewing a number of successful experiences in the UAE and other Arab countries.

Six Main Topics

One of the six discussion topics is Leadership and Innovation in the Framework of UAE Vision 2021. This comes at a time when the UAE topped the Arab countries on exporting investment index at the global level, with volume of USD 217 billion between 2003 and 2014, and share of 58% of the total investments in the Arab countries during that period.

"The UAE is part of the one Arab homeland, and the joint Arab action is essential elements in our strategic plans. ABIC is a good opportunity to help our Arab brothers realise the Vision 2021 and The National Agenda. It is also an opportunity to highlight the successful case studies, develop comprehensive goals, especially in the development of the national economy," said Al-Rumiathi.

The second topic is Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Agriculture, Industry, and Energy Sectors. "Attendees will get to know about projects and potential investment opportunities in different economic sectors. The conference will also discuss opportunities of joint cooperation between business owners and investors in the UAE with their counterparts in other Arab countries in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation," added Al-Rumiathi,

About the Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Services Sector and Environment, which is the third discussion topic, Al-Rumiathi said ABIC will review experiences and innovations in the service sector.

Elaborating about the fourth topic 'Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Financial Sector', Al-Rumiathi said Inter-Arab investment stood at USD 103 billion between 2001 and 2012. Together, Saudi Arabia and the UAE accounted for about 74 per cent of the total investment during 2001 and 2012, where Saudi Arabia was in the lead with USD 45.7 billion by 44 per cent, followed by the UAE in second place with USD 31.1 billion and share of 30 per cent.

Organising ABIC in the UAE

Thanks to the organising partners and stakeholders in the UAE, 17th Arab Investors and Businessmen Conference confirmed for the first time attendance of non-Arab participants expanding its global footprint  with a main focus of strengthening the Arab economies. According to Al-Rumiathi., the conference topics attracted more than previous editions. It has attracted leading institutions from around the world for the first time.

The Higher Organising Committee of the event received requests of nearly 2,500 private and government entities, despite the fact that the number aimed for was no more than 1,500 participants. Al-Rumiathi.said: "17th ABIC confirmations was unprecedented at all scales. This conference brings together countries of the Arab region in a common platform to provide them with investment solutions and promote regional partnerships.

Participating counties include Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Yemen.

SMEs takes centre stage at ABIC 2015

In line with The National Agenda to achieve UAE Vision 2021, that aims to raise the contribution of SMEs to non-oil GDP to 70 percent by 2021, ABIC organisers dedicated several sessions to highlight the issues and the challenges of investment in this sector.

The Arab Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award

The award aims to further the interests of business, finance, and entrepreneur communities and recognise excellence in business. The award also aims to boost innovation and entrepreneurship of Arab businesses by highlighting innovation models. Moreover, the award will catalyse partnerships between Arab entrepreneurs and businessmen. The Higher Organizing Committee of the event  has shortlisted 30 investment projects. The targeted sectors for this year's award included agriculture, energy, industry, environment, services, information technology, funding, insurance, and health.

The event is organised jointly by the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for the Arab Countries (GUCCIAAC), the Arab League, UAE Ministry of Economy, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Arab Investment and Credit Export Guarantee, in cooperation with Strategic Marketing & Exhibitions.

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© Press Release 2015