Dubai Chamber highlights investment opportunities for Canadian companies

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry successfully participated in the official UAE delegation visit to Canada, which was headed by H.E. Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, and also included Government entities and company representatives from various economic sectors in the country. 

The week-long visit, which began on March 5 in Montreal, took Dubai Chamber officials to various Canadian cities including Ottawa and Quebec where they had one-to-one meetings with Canadian officials and business leaders inviting them to set up businesses in Dubai while highlighting the lucrative investment potential and ease of doing business facilities offered by the Emirate to Canadian businesses. 

H.E. Hamad Buamim, Director General, Dubai Chamber, who led the Chamber delegation, held a series of meetings with key officials and company representatives where they discussed areas of possible collaboration in various areas of common interests and the ways to enhance bilateral relations between Dubai and Canadian businesses. 

He called upon Canadian companies to use Dubai as a base for their business in the region as well as to benefit from its strategic location to expand into new markets in Africa and Asia, while highlighting the safe and stable business environment of Dubai which is one of the leading centres of global business in the Middle East. 

During his meeting with Invest Ottawa, H.E. Buamim was apprised with the possible collaboration areas in the sectors of clean energy, life sciences, and financial services by the host organisation. The Chamber delegation was also given a tour of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified building in light of an exchange programme in sustainability and best business practices as Dubai Chamber is the first certified existing green building in the Arab world. 

H.E. Buamim also participated in a reception hosted by Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal where he met Mr. Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Montreal Chamber where he discussed areas of cooperation between the two sides and the hosting of a Montreal business delegation in Dubai later this year. 

The Director General of Dubai Chamber met with senior representatives of QG 100, a private group of CEOs of top 100 companies in Quebec, and discussed areas of collaboration between both entities while he also invited the group members to visit and set up businesses in Dubai. 

Buamim agreed with QG 100 representatives to host a Canadian business delegation in Dubai before the end of this year, pointing out that such visit will play a vital role in cementing cooperation between Dubai and Canada in various fields. 

The Canadian businessmen expressed their interest in exploring Dubai’s investment opportunities as they praised the Emirate’s economic growth and the trade, tourism and infrastructure facilities it offered to overseas investors. 

During his meeting with Mr. Mark Romoff, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, H.E. Buamim accredited Dubai’s exemplary economic development to the strong public and private sector partnership which has stood the test of time and proved a successful example in the region thanks to the Emirate’s government unconditional support given to the business community over the years. 

The Dubai Chamber delegation also held talks with the Canadian Arab Business Council and discussed ways of building bridges of cooperation in various economic sectors and exploring of new business opportunities between the two countries. 

The meetings with various Canadian ministers and officials came on the sidelines of a reception attended by H.E. John Baird, Canadian Foreign Minister, H.E. Jean Charest, Quebec Premier, Clement Gigna, Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife of Quebec, and Gerald Keddy, Canadian Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade. 

H.E. Buamim informed that the Canadian visit was timely and opened up prospects of broader economic ties between the two countries, helping in the development of cooperation in various economic fields as Dubai is one of the largest export markets for Canada in the region. 

He also stressed that Canada ranked 43rd on the list of Dubai’s top trading partners as the value of Dubai’s non-oil trade with the country stood at AED 5.2 billion during the first 10 months of 2011, while there are 1,006 Canadian companies registered with Dubai Chamber and operating in Dubai.