WAIPA participated in AIM 2023 in Abu Dhabi from 7-10 May 2023 in sessions, presentations, speaking engagements, moderation and the LDC IPAs Conference.
New Age IPAs
Ms. Courtney Fingar, Senior Advisor, Europe & Communications, WAIPA, and Mr. Dushyant Thakor, Deputy Executive Director, WAIPA, delivered an insightful session on ‘New Age IPAs: Aligning with the Changing World Order’ during the Annual Investment Meeting, on 7th May 2023.
The workshop discussed global and regional fdi scenarios and trends, along with key strategies for new-age IPAs including sustainable & climate FDI, targeting institutional investors, friend-shorting, startups, the creative economy, and aligning with outbound-oriented agencies.
African IPA Dialogue
The ‘African IPA Dialogue’ session on 8th May 2023, organized by WAIPA and KPMG during the AIM, served as an ideal platform for African IPAs to come together and share their first-hand experiences on leveraging digital technologies, promoting their brands, and conducting outreach efforts.
Mr. Dushyant Thakor, Deputy Executive Director of WAIPA, and Mohit Bhasin, Partner & Global Co-lead of Economic Growth at KPMG, moderated this highly interactive and thought-provoking session. Indeed, African IPAs participation and sharing their insights, helped provide a clearer understanding of the African region.
Global Leaders Debate
Mr. Ismail Ersahin, CEO and Executive Director of WAIPA, moderated one of the most significant sessions at AIM, the second part of Global Leaders Debate, ‘The Future Paradigm Shift: Future Investment Opportunities to Foster Sustainable Economic Growth, Diversity, and Prosperity’, along with distinguished panellists discussing upcoming investment opportunities and the challenges facing the global economy, on 8th May 2023.
Investment promotion and facilitation in African-Caribbean and Pacific countries
Mr. Ismail Ersahin, CEO & Executive Director, WAIPA, welcomed participants to the ‘Investment promotion and facilitation in African-Caribbean and Pacific countries: State-of-play, challenges, and opportunities’ session organized in collaboration with UNIDO, European Commission & Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), during the Annual Investment Meeting, on 9th May 2023.
Panellists were H.E. Albert Muchanga, Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, AU Commission, Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, Secretary General, Sustainable Economics Transformation and Trade, OACPS, Ms. Cecile Billaux, Head of Unit, Micro-economic Analysis, Investment Climate, Private Sector, Trade and Employment, European Commission, and Ms. Fatou HAIDARA, Managing Director, Director of Global Partnerships and External Relations, UNIDO.
In addition, Mr. Stefan Kratzsch, Sustainability Standards and Responsible Business Unit, Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade, UNIDO presented the findings of a survey conducted by UNIDO and WAIPA last year that was aimed at better understanding the emerging strategies and technical assistance needed to support ACP IPAs.
Steering Committee Meeting
Steering Committee held this year’s 1st SC meeting during the Annual Investment Meeting, both in person and virtually, on 9th May 2023.
The committee engaged in a highly productive discussion, during which WAIPA Executive Director Mr. Ismail Ersahin presented updates on ongoing projects and successful initiatives.
LDC IPAs Conference
WAIPA’s Permanent Secretariat with Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) organized sessions focused on various issues like empowering the operation of LDC IPAs, promoting SDGs-aligned investments, discussing the role of LDC IPAs in climate FDI, and promoting tourism investments, in close collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on 10th May 2023.
The program was as follow:
➡️ Empowering and transforming the operations of IPAs in LDCs
➡️ Attracting and Promoting SDGs-aligned Investments in LDCs through regional cooperation
➡️ Climate FDI and the role of IPAs in collaboration with the World Economic Forum
➡️ Promotion of Tourism Investments in LDCs in collaboration with World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
WAIPA and Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) signed an MoU
WAIPA and the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) signed an MoU during the Annual Investment Meeting to develop cooperation and exchange information in various areas related to investment development, including joint events, training programs, studies in investments for OIC countries, and collaborating on the annual report on Business climate.
WAIPA extends deep gratitude to H.E. Ahmed Ali Bazi, Minister, Ministry of Economy, Industry and Investments of Comoros, H.E. Omar Said Shaaban, Trade and Industrial Development Minister of Zanzibar, and Ms. Latifa El Bouabdellaoui, Director General, Islamic Centre for Development of Trade, for enhancing the association between both the parties.
