Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), an important measure of the ownership of productive assets and flow of money in an economy, brought into Dubai during 2011 was Dh3.44 billion in capital.
More than 77 companies also came to Dubai last year. The collective turnover of these businesses was to the tune of Dh16.57 billion. "The past year also saw significant gains by Dubai FDI in strengthening its links with governments, investment promotion agencies and the investor community across the globe," Dubai FDI, the foreign investment office of the Department of Economic Development, said in a statement.
Dubai enjoys the advantage of being a strategic and investment hub in the region. Logistics, tourism and hospitality sectors form the backbone of FDI in the emirate. Dubai FDI chief executive officer Fahad Al Gergawi told regional media that investors in all over the world are now more focused on faster access to markets and better efficiencies in terms of operations and cost.
"Dubai, by virtue of its location and infrastructure, offers the fastest link to the growing markets across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. "At the same time, policymaking in the emirate is essentially linked to promoting business and enterprise," said Al Gergawi.
Education has been one of the components of Dubai FDI's strategic action plan in 2011. Inputs were analysed -- based on the feedback from investors -- leading to the creation of an incentive programme.
