SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax met with the Director General of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Annual Investment Meeting (AIM), Mr. Walid Farghal in Gaborone, Botswana on the 31st October 2018. The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) is a premier three-day Foreign Direct Investment-focused event which is an initiative of the UAE Ministry of Economy. The objective of the meeting was to explore areas of SADC - UAE collaboration and build on mutual relationship and discuss investment opportunities in the SADC region.
Mr. Farghal stated that the UAE Ministry of Economy is already working with SADC Member States in aiding them to create a more vibrant and inclusive economy, as well as exposing them to opportunities which supports their development goals. He mentioned that through the investment forum, SADC as a regional body will have the opportunity to showcase its programmes and projects to various key decision-makers from around the world who are willing to engage in sustainable partnerships, and will benefit from a variety of features aimed at facilitating strategic networking and promoting investments.
Dr. Tax thanked Mr. Farghal for the visit and presentation on the comprehensive overview of investment opportunities and learning experience which the Government of the UAE was willing to share with the SADC region. She said that the upcoming Annual Investment Meeting to be held in Dubai in April 2019 was an interesting prospect for the region to showcase its portfolio of projects and programmes in infrastructure and industrialization. She pointed out that the Secretariat was willing to engage further to understand the areas of investment and effective ways to attract investors to various sectors of the economy.
The parties agreed to engage further and share information, strategies and knowledge on attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
