UAE highlights co-investment opportunities with Australia

The UAE Embassy in Canberra organised the third annual “UAE Investment Showcase”, to highlight co-investment opportunities between the UAE and Australia, and priority areas within the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which has recently come into force.

The forum was attended by a select group of officials from the Australian government on both federal and local levels, in addition to senior executives, investors, and representatives from the investment and innovation sector in the UAE.

The event included two main sessions. The first session, entitled “UAE-Australia: Unlocking High‑Impact Investment Opportunities Under CEPA”, focused on data centres and artificial intelligence, food and agriculture, green and renewable energy, infrastructure, and strategic minerals.

The second session, entitled “Gateway to Growth: How to Enter and Scale in the UAE Market”, provided a practical explanation of the incentives, financing options, and regulatory frameworks that support foreign companies.

The forum also featured a signing ceremony for several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at strengthening institutional cooperation between the two sides.

These included an MoU between the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI); an MoU between ADIO and Forbes Australia; and further MoUs between ADIO and the National Reconstruction Fund, and ADIO and Investment New South Wales.

These agreements aim to reinforce channels of collaboration and establish practical platforms for the development of joint projects and investments.

The event began with a keynote address delivered by Dr Fahad Obaid Al Taffaq, UAE Ambassador to Australia, who emphasised that the forum serves as a practical platform to transform the momentum achieved by the CEPA into tangible opportunities and joint projects, with particular focus on sectors that support energy and food security, digital transformation, and sustainable infrastructure, all of which contribute to the developmental goals of both nations.

The forum was organised to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, underpinned by increased economic and investment cooperation between the UAE and Australia under the CEPA.

Meanwhile last week Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI) have entered a strategic partnership designed to strengthen trade and investment between Abu Dhabi and Australia.

Signed by Mohamed Ali Al Kamali, Chief of Industry and Trade at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Mohamed Hage OAM, President and National Chairman of AACCI at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Investment Showcase in Sydney, the collaboration aims to ease pathways for Australian companies to accelerate market entry to Abu Dhabi’s high-growth sectors.

AACCI is a national organisation focused on two-way trade and investment and relations between Australia and the 22 member states of the Arab League. With offices across major Australian cities and a growing footprint in the Gulf, AACCI has supported Australian companies exporting to or expanding into Middle Eastern and North African (Mena) markets and assisted Arab companies seeking to invest in Australia for over 40 years.

Under the agreement, ADIO and AACCI will exchange market intelligence, coordinate joint participation in signature events and organise AACCI member business delegations to Abu Dhabi to explore commercial opportunities and establish a presence in the emirate. The parties will also facilitate meetings between Abu Dhabi-based corporates and AACCI.

Mohamed Ali Al Kamali, Chief of Industry and Trade at ADIO, said, “Abu Dhabi offers expanding Australian companies a scalable platform, robust rule of law and a gateway to growth across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Through this collaboration with AACCI, ADIO will facilitate trade for Australian companies in Abu Dhabi and forge strategic partnerships that support Abu Dhabi’s growth and economic diversification goals.”

Mohamed Hage OAM, President and National Chairman, AACCI, commented, “AACCI is committed to mobilising our member network to realise new export, investment and partnership opportunities in Abu Dhabi. Working with ADIO, we will guide Australian businesses through on-the-ground requirements, connect them with Abu Dhabi corporates and investors and curate programmes that convert interest into outcomes.”

ADIO is leading a high-level Abu Dhabi Investment & Trade delegation to Sydney to increase the emirate’s investment footprint in Australia and establish long-term economic connections. The mission includes engagements with Australian family offices, corporations and investors, as well as strategic institutions and innovation hubs across sectors such as advanced manufacturing, sustainable technologies, food security and life sciences.

WAM