Building momentum for the Great Lakes Investment and Trade Conference in Kigali, Rwanda

The UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, Huang Xia, and his delegation, meeting Emirati officials

3 Mar 2020

Building momentum for the Great Lakes Investment and Trade Conference in Kigali, Rwanda

Dubai (United Arab Emirates), 1 March 2020 – The Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region is on a campaign trail to mobilize resources to attract business and investment in the Great Lakes, thereby contributing to the development efforts in the region. It is with this objective in mind that United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region Huang Xia attended a roadshow in Dubai from 29 February to 1 March. The event was organized by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) in collaboration with the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Rwanda High Commission in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Special Envoy first attended a roadshow in Dubai on 29 February. This promotional event saw the participation of over 50 business representatives from the Golf States who expressed interest in attending the Great Lakes Investment and Trade Conference (GLITC) scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, on 18-20 March 2020.

Special Envoy Xia, then met with Hassan Al Hashemi, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce (UAE branch) and Vice-President of the Dubai International Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Emirati authority promised his support to the event while stressing the importance of creating a positive narrative around the Great Lakes region.

Mr. Xia later received an audience from HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi.

The two officials exchanged views on the immense potential for investment and trade in the Great Lakes region, which remains largely untapped. The minister said he was confident that Emirati businesspeople would attend the investment and trade conference in Kigali. He also welcomed the gathering as a gateway to expand the UAE’s footprint in the region, which, by the minister’s account, had been limited to North African countries and a few East African states. In this regard, the Special Envoy welcomed a more significant presence of the UAE in a series of initiatives this year, including the upcoming forum of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in May.