This chapter examines the institutional governance of investment facilitation and promotion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and highlights the pivotal role the Ministry of Investment (MoI) can plan in this ecosystem. It focusses on the importance of fostering more structured collaboration across the UAE’s multilevel investment governance system and analyses local and federal investment promotion initiatives and investment facilitation measures.
Investment Policy Perspectives in the United Arab Emirates
Abstract
The governance of investment facilitation and promotion in the UAE is marked by a high degree of decentralisation, shaped by its federal constitution. While strategic functions have gradually been consolidated at the federal level, particularly with the establishment of the MoI, the day-to-day responsibilities for investment promotion and facilitation remain firmly rooted at the Emirate level. Each Emirate, through its Department of Economic Development (DED) or equivalent entity, exercises considerable autonomy in defining and implementing investment strategies aligned with local development goals. This includes designing grants and non-financial incentives, managing outreach campaigns and overseeing licensing and regulatory functions. Free zones further add to this complexity by operating as semi‑autonomous jurisdictions with distinct regulatory and promotional mandates, often outside the purview of both Emirate‑level DEDs and federal institutions.
This decentralised system offers certain advantages, notably the ability of subnational actors to develop investment strategies tailored to local economic characteristics and sectoral strengths. Proximity to regional markets and a deep understanding of local business environments allow Emirate‑level agencies to respond rapidly to investor needs, especially in light of changing global investment trends and supply chain dynamics. However, decentralisation also creates risks of policy fragmentation, inconsistencies in service delivery and inter-Emirate competition, which if not carefully managed, can lead to unhealthy rivalry rather than productive differentiation. These risks are particularly pronounced in areas such as non-financial incentive design, promotional messaging and investor servicing, where overlapping efforts and a lack of structured co‑ordination can confuse investors and diminish the coherence of the UAE’s national investment proposition.
In light of these challenges, this chapter focusses on the importance of fostering more structured collaboration across the UAE’s multilevel institutional governance system for investment and the role the MoI can play as a harmonising body. Formal co‑ordination mechanisms, such as intergovernmental working groups, shared digital tools and sectoral alignment frameworks, can mitigate duplication and improve national policy cohesion. Effective co‑ordination is not automatic and must be intentionally designed to bridge differences in institutional capacity, political priorities and strategic direction across Emirates. Establishing clear roles, communication channels and co‑operative norms between the MoI and subnational agencies will be essential to building a more unified investment promotion ecosystem that maximises the strengths of decentralisation while minimising its risks.
Develop a national investment strategy to guide the UAE’s investment policy and promotional efforts. To support the country’s long-term economic diversification and competitiveness, the MoI could initiate the preparation of a national investment strategy. Such a strategy could articulate the federal government’s overarching vision for attracting and leveraging investment, define priority sectors and markets, and outline key reform areas needed to improve the investment climate. Drawing on international practices, the strategy could also establish performance indicators, timelines, and implementation responsibilities across relevant federal entities. Whether designed as a high-level policy framework or a more operational roadmap, the strategy would provide a reference point for aligning future legislative, institutional, and promotional initiatives at the federal level.
Consider establishing a federal co‑ordination body to enhance alignment in investment promotion and facilitation efforts and information sharing. To mitigate fragmentation, harmful competition and duplicative efforts across federal, Emirate and free zone levels, the MoI may explore the creation of a formal co‑ordination platform, such as an intergovernmental working group on investment promotion. This body could facilitate regular dialogue among Departments of Economic Development (DED), free zone authorities and federal stakeholders to align sectoral priorities, co‑ordinate participation in international events and ensure the use of harmonised messaging. Such a mechanism would support a more consistent national investment narrative while allowing subnational entities to retain their branding and outreach autonomy. In addition, the MoI could serve as a central repository for promotional intelligence, aggregating data from investor inquiries, campaign performance, and sector-specific feedback to support evidence‑based promotion across the UAE. To further strengthen its analytical function, the platform should integrate real-time FDI data disaggregated by Emirate, sector and investment type, thereby supporting targeted promotion and facilitating inter-Emirate co‑ordination. This would enable greater strategic cohesion and responsiveness in both messaging and outreach.
Consolidate existing digital portals and brand campaigns under a unified Invest UAE entry. The existence of multiple promotional platforms at the national level including the current Invest UAE and Invest in Emirates, in addition to some at the subnational level such as Invest in Dubai and Invest in Abu Dhabi, may lead to investor confusion and undermine the clarity of the UAE’s overall investment offer. The MoI could assess the potential for introducing a centralised digital entry point at federal level that integrates these various portals and can serve as a registry to forward the user to the intended endpoint. This unified site could provide a cohesive interface for investors, link to subnational resources and feature consolidated tools such as sectoral opportunity dashboards, regulatory summaries and a national incentive map.
Develop a federal investment facilitation co ordination and information platform to support investor journeys. In addition to promotional alignment, the MoI could play a pivotal role in improving investment facilitation by co‑ordinating a national platform that maps the administrative requirements across each Emirate. This platform could serve as a digital interface to consolidate information on licensing, documentation, procedures, and timelines, offering multilingual guidance tailored to different investor profiles such as SMEs or strategic sectors. By integrating Emirate‑level systems and establishing shared service standards, templates, and metrics, the platform could reduce fragmentation, improve transparency, and streamline cross-jurisdictional operations. As a convenor, the MoI would be well-placed to promote interoperability, facilitate feedback loops, and use aggregate data to inform administrative and regulatory reforms.
6.2.1. The role of local actors in a decentralised investment landscape
Due to its federal structure and despite the centralisation of strategic functions at the federal level, the UAE’s institutional governance for investment has always been operationally decentralised. Each Emirate retains significant authority over its investment promotion and facilitation agenda, reflecting the federal nature of the Constitution. The primary institutional actors at the Emirate level are the Departments of Economic Development (DEDs), which serve as the local investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and are tasked with delivering licenses to investors, supporting regulatory reform, facilitating business establishment and providing aftercare services to existing firms. DEDs carry out a dual mandate: they are responsible not only for broader economic planning and regulatory oversight within their jurisdictions, but also for promoting investment, both domestic and foreign, into priority sectors aligned with Emirate‑level development goals. Their investment promotion roles typically include designing grants and non-financial incentives, managing promotional campaigns, hosting investor delegations and engaging in sector-specific outreach in global markets. While some Emirates, such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai, have established separate investment offices to lead FDI promotion efforts in co‑ordination with the DED, the majority of DEDs remain the central actors responsible for formulating and executing local investment strategies.
DEDs report directly to the Executive Council of their respective Emirate and not to the federal government. As such, each DED pursues its own investment strategy, prioritising sectors and policy tools according to local development objectives. For example, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) leads implementation of the D33 strategy, which includes ambitious goals for GDP growth, digital transformation and global competitiveness through foreign investment. Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development (ADDED), in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), operates a cluster-based investment model and deploys targeted incentives through a performance‑based grant system. Other Emirates such as Ras Al-Khaimah and Sharjah also operate their own IPAs and maintain active promotion and facilitation functions tailored to their economic base.
In addition to DEDs, free zone authorities in each Emirate exercise broad autonomy over their respective jurisdictions. The UAE hosts around 46 free zones, which together account for a substantial share of national non-oil GDP and foreign investment inflows. These free zones, such as the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ), act as self-contained regulatory and facilitation ecosystems. Most run as specialised clusters or business parks focussed on specific industries, with regulatory frameworks, infrastructure and incentive schemes designed to attract particular types of multinational corporations or develop targeted sectors such as finance, logistics, media and manufacturing. They often operate under distinct legal regimes, common law in the case of the DIFC and ADGM and provide streamlined licensing, visa and infrastructure access.
Free zones typically market themselves independently of the Emirate’s DED and the federal MoI (see below), reflecting the UAE’s decentralised investment promotion model, which involves multiple investment authorities and regulatory regimes operating alongside one another While this autonomy has allowed Emirates to innovate and compete in investment attraction, differences in regulatory approaches across jurisdictions can result in variation in investor experience, as licensing procedures, required documentation, incentive offerings and regulatory clarity can vary widely across jurisdictions (Business Sweden, 2024[1]).
The decentralised nature of the UAE’s investment landscape provides distinct strengths. Emirate‑level agencies are deeply embedded in their local economies and possess a strong understanding of regional business environments, sectoral advantages and institutional dynamics. This proximity enables them to tailor investment promotion strategies to local needs and respond more nimbly to investor demands. In particular, free zones are well positioned to adopt tailored approaches for different business segments and geographies, leveraging their sector-specific focus to attract investors with distinct operational needs. These capabilities have become increasingly important as subnational factors, such as access to specific talent pools, infrastructure or clusters, play a greater role in investor decision making, particularly in light of global supply chain reconfigurations following global challenges such as COVID‑19 crisis. The UAE’s decentralised system thus allows for innovation and agility at the local level, which can complement a unified national strategy when paired with effective co‑ordination.
6.2.2. Co‑ordination challenges in decentralised institutional governance for investment
Decentralisation can also give rise to co‑ordination challenges associated with inter-emirate competition. While a degree of inter-emirate competition can drive innovation and responsiveness, it may also lead to overlapping incentive schemes and parallel promotional efforts across jurisdictions, which can complicate policy coherence and investor messaging if not well co‑ordinated. This is a widespread phenomenon, with almost two‑thirds of surveyed subnational IPAs in OECD countries considering the level of inter-regional competition to be substantial or high (Figure 6.1, Panel A). Where structured co‑ordination mechanisms are still evolving, local authorities may pursue parallel efforts to attract the similar investment projects, sometimes without full visibility of broader national priorities. These dynamics are particularly pronounced in federal systems, where the incidence of inter-regional competition is nearly four times higher than in non-federal states (OECD, 2022[2]) (Figure 6.1, Panel B). In the UAE, the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by DEDs and free zones underscores the importance of effective co‑ordination, especially given the variation in financial and institutional capacities across Emirates, which may influence levels of participation in national investment efforts.
Note: These results are based on a survey of 49 subnational organisations in 27 OECD Member countries.
Source: OECD survey on subnational investment promotion and facilitation, 2023.
Inter-emirate co‑ordination is also important to address differences in investment attractiveness and service delivery across jurisdictions. Evidence from OECD countries shows that both formal and informal co‑ordination mechanisms between regions can help reduce regional FDI disparities by encouraging more balanced investment flows and reinforcing cohesive national strategies. Strengthening relationships among subnational agencies is therefore not only critical to manage competitive dynamics, but also to ensure that all regions are able to benefit from national investment promotion efforts. Yet, ensuring co‑operation between regions is not without challenges, chief among them being limited communication channels and information-sharing practices, which reflect capacity constraints rather than an absence of willingness. Nevertheless, the involvement of multiple decision making levels, can add complexity to co‑ordination efforts, which can also become a barrier to strengthening regional relationships (OECD, 2023[3]). Addressing these barriers early on is essential for fostering inclusive and effective investment promotion across any federation.
In federal and decentralised systems, the institutional co‑ordination needed to mitigate these risks is rarely automatic and it must be deliberately structured. As international experience shows, the presence of intergovernmental mechanisms such as information exchange platforms, formal co‑ordination bodies and shared sectoral strategies can significantly improve alignment between national and regional investment promotion efforts (see section X). In the absence of such frameworks, policy fragmentation, duplicative efforts and investor confusion are common outcomes.
Considering the often complex institutional architecture involving national and subnational agencies in investment promotion and facilitation, maintaining productive working relationships is essential for achieving effective results. These relationships can take the form of collaboration, where national and subnational agencies co‑ordinate activities or co-develop tools, or complementarity, where each brings distinct value that reinforces the other’s role (Figure 6.2). Recognising and formalising both modes of engagement will be key to enhancing UAE‑wide investment outcomes. While many countries rely on informal mechanisms like information sharing, fewer have adopted more structured tools such as joint sectoral prioritisation or national referral systems to manage investor leads (OECD, 2023[3]). Ensuring good co‑ordination and information sharing between Emirates, as is common practice in OECD countries, would further strengthen cohesive investment governance.
Note: “Subnational” refer to the responses provided by a sample of 49 subnational organisations in 27 OECD Member countries. “National” refer to the responses provided by the national IPAs of 36 OECD Member countries.
Source: OECD survey on investment promotion and regional development, 2022; OECD survey on subnational investment promotion and facilitation, 2023.
Unlike co‑operation between subnational entities, which often suffers from capacity-related constraints, collaboration between national and subnational investment agencies is more frequently hindered by institutional ambiguity and political dynamics. Approximately half of subnational organisations surveyed across OECD countries perceive their complementarity with national agencies as moderate, low, or even non-existent, suggesting a frequent overlap of mandates and activities. This is reinforced by survey findings indicating that unclear institutional roles are the most commonly cited challenge to improving national – subnational collaboration. Political reluctance to engage further compounds this issue, pointing to the need for stronger high-level commitment to joint strategic planning (OECD, 2023[3])..As the federal investment framework continues to evolve, areas such as the delineation of mandates, the interface between federal and Emirate‑level responsibilities, and the formalisation of co‑ordination mechanisms represent opportunities to further strengthen coherence across the investment ecosystem. Clarifying the Ministry of Investment’s co‑ordinating and strategic role, in particular, can help enhance alignment across jurisdictions. As the country continues to position itself as a fully integrated investment destination, capable of offering clarity, predictability and efficiency to global investors, it must develop new tools to ensure coherence across jurisdictions while preserving the dynamism of Emirate‑level initiatives.
6.3.1. A federal mandate for integrated investment planning
The creation of the MoI in 2023 marked a significant development in advancing the UAE’s vision for a modern institutional landscape for investment governance. Created by Federal Decree Law No. 37 of 2023, the MoI was founded with the primary objective of centralising the federal mandate for investment strategy, policy co‑ordination and high-level decision making in a landscape previously defined by complex multi-level governance and overlapping institutional roles. Prior to 2023, the federal portfolio on investment fell within the scope of the Investment Attraction and Talent Management Department, integrated into the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET). The Department’s tasks included working with local authorities to simplify and unify FDI registration and licensing procedures, receiving and studying requests from foreign investors, settling disputes through conciliation between investors and the local authorities, granting incentives in accordance with the laws, disseminating information about the investment environment and publishing investment data (WTO, 2022[4]).
Despite the shift of these mandates, the Ministry of Foreign Trade (MoFT) continues to play a critical role in managing investments related to SMEs, entrepreneurs and talent acquisition and is working closely with MoI to transition the investment portfolio and improve the regulatory environment for smaller-scale investments. The creation of MoI is best understood as a response to the need for more strategic and coherent institutional governance for investment at the national level, capable of balancing the autonomy of local authorities with the ambitions of a unified, internationally competitive federal system.
MoI’s legal mandate reflects a focus on high-level co‑ordination rather than service delivery. According to its founding legislation, it is mandated to act as a high-level policymaking and co‑ordinating entity at the federal level. Its legal mandate includes developing and amending federal investment-related strategies and legislation, co‑ordinating investment policies across government entities and identifying structural and legal obstacles to investment stability. This role situates the MoI not as an executor of operational tasks, but as a steward of strategic coherence, ensuring that the UAE’s investment environment is governed by a consistent framework that reflects both national priorities and international standards.
The MoI is also responsible for the development of a national investment database and digital infrastructure for investment-related information. This includes mapping sectoral opportunities, consolidating regulatory content and building decision-support tools to inform policy. By leading the centralisation of investment intelligence, the MoI is expected to play a foundational role in evidence‑based policymaking. Its emphasis on high-level data integration in investment promotion reflects best practices among OECD countries, which recognise that strategic guidance must be underpinned by robust, timely and harmonised information (OECD, 2018[5]).
In addition to its policymaking function, the MoI holds a convening role across federal and local stakeholders. While it does not exert hierarchical control over other ministries or Emirate‑level agencies, it is mandated to co‑ordinate with relevant federal entities such as the Ministry of Finance and MoET as well as with subnational authorities, on all matters related to investment planning and reform. This horizontal and vertical convening power is central to its institutional purpose: to create shared frameworks for strategic prioritisation, regulatory consistency and future‑oriented reforms.
The MoI is expected to contribute to the design of investment-related reforms that transcend sectoral boundaries. These may include recommendations for simplifying legal procedures, clarifying inter-agency roles or modernising the regulatory framework for investor protection, dispute resolution and incentive governance. Some national institutions that play similar roles in OECD Member countries, such as SelectUSA, have opted to position themselves as an information and connection platform, supporting co‑ordination, regulatory clarity and subnational empowerment without undermining local autonomy (Box 6.1). Through such contributions, the MoI plays a forward-looking role in systematising institutional governance for investment across the UAE, without encroaching on the specific mandates or legal prerogatives of other institutions.
In a federal system where economic development responsibilities primarily lie with states and localities, SelectUSA demonstrates how a national-level institution can add significant value without infringing on subnational autonomy. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, SelectUSA is the only federal entity dedicated to facilitating high-impact business investment in the United States. Since its launch in 2011, SelectUSA has facilitated over USD 141 billion in confirmed investments, supporting more than 162 000 jobs.
SelectUSA’s operational model emphasises facilitation over duplication. Rather than competing with state or local economic development organisations (EDOs), it amplifies their efforts by acting as a central connector between foreign investors and U.S. locations. Investors are guided toward appropriate contacts through neutral tools such as the official State Contact List, the FDI Database and the State Incentives Database, ensuring they receive accurate and actionable information for location decisions. SelectUSA maintains a strict stance of objectivity, allowing investors to evaluate locations based on their own criteria rather than promotional bias.
A core function of SelectUSA is to navigate the complexities of the federal regulatory environment for both investors and EDOs. It provides assistance and detailed information on a wide range of federal-level issues, from visas and permitting processes to regulatory compliance, helping reduce administrative uncertainty for potential investors. This regulatory navigation complements its broader role of facilitating market entry without intruding on the jurisdictional responsibilities of individual states and cities.
Among its flagship digital tools, the State Business Incentives Database, maintained in partnership with the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), offers comprehensive information on nearly 2 000 active incentive programmes across all 50 states and territories. These include tax credits, grants, loan guarantees, and technical support initiatives. The database allows users to filter by programme type and geography, and provides high-level summaries of eligibility and benefit structures, enhancing transparency and comparability of subnational offerings.
Similarly, the Target Industries Dashboard provides an interactive interface to explore which industries are prioritised by which states, helping investors align sectoral interests with local strategies. This tool maps out state‑level investment priorities and links directly to relevant fact sheets and incentive pages. By surfacing this information centrally, SelectUSA has been able to facilitate a clearer understanding of subnational competitive advantages while ensuring that federal platforms empower rather than overshadow regional actors. Importantly, SelectUSA leverages the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service network, spanning 76 countries, 106 domestic locations and 58 partner posts, to extend the global reach of U.S. investment opportunities. It also supports U.S. jurisdictions in internationally mobile investment projects by offering federal-level advocacy, providing strategic support without favouring any specific locality, thus maintaining neutrality while enhancing national competitiveness. The flagship event of SelectUSA’s promotion efforts is the SelectUSA Investment Summit, which annually convenes thousands of investors, economic developers and policymakers. The Summit has directly contributed to more than USD 80 billion in new investment projects since its inception.
Source: OECD based on interview with SelectUSA; (2025[6]), The SelectUSA Investor Guide, https://www.trade.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/2025%20SelectUSA%20Investor%20Guide.pdf; International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (2025[7]) Target Industries Dashboard, https://www.trade.gov/selectusa-target-industries-dashboard; C2ER, (2025[8]), State Business Incentives Database, https://www.stateincentives.org/.
As a new institution, the MoI faces a critical need to clarify its evolving identity. Currently, it does not yet fully match the conventional profile of either a policymaking ministry or a fully-fledged IPA. It occupies a hybrid institutional space, combining elements of policy leadership, strategic co‑ordination and promotional oversight, without yet providing the full range of services typical of national IPAs (such as investor facilitation, aftercare, or site support). While this hybrid role is uncommon, it is not without precedent. For example, Indonesia’s Ministry of Investment was established by elevating the former IPA (BKPM) to ministry status, creating a structure that integrates regulatory advocacy with direct investor support and enhances its authority and visibility. Similarly, the MoI has the opportunity to define its institutional model from the ground up, whether as a high-level policy leader, a national investment support centre or a comprehensive federal IPA. Clearly articulating this orientation will be essential for building stakeholder trust and aligning functions across the UAE’s multilevel governance landscape.
Its success will depend not only on its internal capacity but also on the extent to which it can foster structured collaboration across a diverse and decentralised set of institutional actors. The UAE’s long-term attractiveness as an investment destination increasingly hinges on such co‑ordination, making the MoI’s role both strategic and systemic in nature. Strengthening collaboration between the MoI and Emirate‑level authorities, through shared platforms, regular consultation forums, or national branding agreements, could support the development of a more unified and efficient investment promotion system without undermining local autonomy. In the absence of a formalised mechanism for vertical co‑ordination, information-sharing between the MoI and DEDs remains ad hoc. Currently, limited formal standard-setting for DEDs or free zones to align their promotional strategies, data collection practices or service delivery standards with federal initiatives. This dynamic poses a significant challenge to the MoI’s goal of developing a unified investment strategy, brand and digital platform. Strengthening intergovernmental co‑ordination through formal consultation mechanisms, data-sharing agreements and joint working groups will be crucial to bridging the divide between strategic centralisation and operational decentralisation (Box 6.2).
As Australia’s national investment promotion agency, Austrade operates within a complex federal system where responsibility for investment attraction is shared with state, territory and local governments. While Austrade does not lead local entrepreneurship or startup development, roles reserved for subnational agencies, it plays a critical role in facilitating FDI by co‑ordinating efforts across all levels of government.
Austrade’s co‑ordination model is grounded in its investment cycle, a systematic process undertaken in partnership with Commonwealth, state and territory counterparts. This cycle spans from strategic planning and offshore promotion to facilitation and aftercare. Austrade develops its sectoral and market priorities in consultation with subnational stakeholders and once investor interest is secured, it works collaboratively with the relevant jurisdiction to ensure smooth entry and potential reinvestment. These joint efforts help present Australia as a coherent investment destination while still leveraging the comparative advantages of its diverse regions.
To strengthen this co‑ordination, Austrade chairs and administers the Senior Officials Trade and Investment Group (SOTIG), a high-level forum that brings together senior representatives from all states and territories. Established in 2012, SOTIG meets biannually and serves as a platform to align on investment priorities, share market intelligence, co‑ordinate international engagement and pursue joint branding initiatives. Notably, it has endorsed a set of Commonwealth and multi-state investment priorities, launched collaborative branding efforts and enabled state specialists to be embedded within Austrade’s global posts, strengthening subnational visibility in key foreign markets.
Importantly, formal mechanisms outside the executive branch also contribute to co‑ordination. The Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth plays a pivotal role in strengthening co‑operation between the federal government, Austrade and the states and territories. Through public inquiries, such as its 2023 review, the Committee systematically collects the views, challenges and needs of subnational governments and IPAs and feeds these insights back into national policy discussions. This parliamentary process ensures that regional perspectives are not only heard but formally integrated into the ongoing refinement of Australia’s investment promotion strategies, creating an additional accountability and feedback loop beyond executive co‑ordination mechanisms. By providing international reach, neutral facilitation and institutional architecture for collaboration, Austrade acts as a strategic convener and service integrator, ensuring that subnational voices are incorporated into a unified national narrative, without diluting their agency or regional branding.
Source: Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, (2019[9]), Committee inquiry into Austrade's role in attracting investment in Australia, https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024250/toc_pdf/Austrade'sroleinattractinginvestmentinAustralia.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf
6.3.2. Designing a national investment strategy in the UAE
A key aspect of the MoI’s strategic role lies in its responsibility to establish a unified federal investment policy It is tasked with aligning legal, institutional and procedural standards that affect investment across the UAE’s complex governance architecture, including the seven Emirates and the more than 47 free zones. In this respect, the MoI functions as an anchor institution for whole‑of-government co‑ordination on investment governance, filling a long-standing institutional gap of balancing the legal and operational autonomy of subnational authorities with the federal government’s interest in presenting a clear and coherent investment offer to the international community. To this end, the MoI is currently tasked with developing the country’s first unified national investment strategy. This effort comes at a pivotal moment in the UAE’s institutional evolution, where federal responsibilities for investment policy have only recently been consolidated in a standalone ministry, while investment promotion and facilitation continue to be driven by autonomous Emirate‑level institutions. In this context, designing an effective federal investment strategy will require more than setting top-down priorities, but rather an institutional approach rooted in structured co‑ordination, clearly defined objectives and adaptive policy tools that incorporate bottom-up input reflecting local specificities.
In federal and decentralised systems across the OECD, successful national investment strategies are typically developed through structured consultations with subnational governments and key private sector stakeholders. This ensures not only buy-in from those responsible for implementation but also coherence between national and local-level objectives. Evidence from OECD surveys conclude that where subnational agencies are involved in national strategy design, regional alignment improves and agencies feel better represented (OECD, 2023[3]) (Figure 6.3.). Among agencies that were consulted, a clear majority report that their region is promoted substantially or to a large extent in the national strategy. By contrast, where subnational authorities are not consulted, perceptions of strong regional representation decline and more agencies report that their region is only marginally promoted. This suggests that consultation mechanisms not only allow national governments to draw on local expertise and sectoral knowledge, but also strengthen the inclusiveness and legitimacy of national investment strategies by ensuring regional comparative advantages are reflected in the overall investment narrative.
Note: These results are based on a survey of 49 subnational organisations in 27 OECD Member countries.
Source: OECD survey on subnational investment promotion and facilitation, 2023.
National investment promotion agencies such as Business France and Austrade engage subnational authorities, business councils, chambers of commerce and foreign investor associations in continuous strategy design phases. In this sense, the MoI may consider institutionalising multilateral consultation mechanisms with the DEDs, free zones, sectoral regulators and the MoET. Creating a standing federal – local working group or national investment strategy council would ensure that each Emirate’s sectoral strengths and investor targeting strategies are reflected in the national framework.
Investment strategies in OECD countries are typically rooted in clear objectives, identifying priority sectors and markets, defining governance structures (ie. inter-agency task forces) and including measurable outcomes such as jobs created, investment volumes, investor satisfaction or SME participation (OECD, 2019[10]). The MoI should include a clearly defined governance model in its national strategy, outlining how co‑ordination will occur across entities, how progress will be tracked, and which bodies are responsible for oversight. The strategy should define national key performance indicators (KPIs), such as increased FDI inflows into non-oil sectors, R&D-intensive investment or reduced investor entry timelines. Where appropriate, KPIs could be cascaded into subnational targets to support local ownership.
OECD IPAs also routinely revisit their sectoral and geographic priorities based on market intelligence, investor behaviour and geopolitical shifts (Sztajerowska and Volpe Martincus, 2021[11]). Countries such as Switzerland and Australia combine digital investment platforms with real-time dashboards that help monitor sector performance, adjust outreach efforts and refine policy responses. The UAE has taken important first steps toward building a national investment intelligence platform, but the system remains fragmented across DEDs, free zones and federal agencies. The national strategy offers a key opportunity to consolidate these efforts. A robust digital architecture should accompany the strategy’s rollout, linking sectoral opportunity maps, project pipelines, regulatory data and performance dashboards to support evidence‑based policymaking and investor targeting.
Different types of strategies may be considered depending on the UAE’s objectives, target audiences and timeframe. These can range from high-level political declarations to detailed implementation blueprints. Some countries opt for broad strategies addressing all types of investment, foreign and domestic, public and private, while others focus specifically on FDI or on investment promotion activities (Box 6.3). In some contexts, countries forego a national strategy entirely in favour of sectoral or subnational plans. Given this diversity, the UAE’s approach may be adapted to reflect the maturity of its institutions, the priorities of its stakeholders, and the specific role that the MoI seeks to play in guiding investment policy.
Countries can adopt different types of strategies to guide their government’s actions on investment. An investment promotion strategy and a comprehensive national investment strategy typically share common features that guide a country’s efforts in attracting and facilitating FDI. These features include the presentation of national development objectives and key economic sectors, which help align investment activities with broader economic goals. They also outline key FDI trends to provide insight into the current investment landscape. These strategies establish investment policy principles and values, as well as clear objectives for investment promotion and policy measures needed to achieve these goals. They highlight the country’s unique value propositions to attract investors, identify target sectors and markets and outline the specific activities required to engage these areas. They also often include an analysis of the country’s performance in international rankings, which helps to benchmark progress and identify areas for improvement.
In federal systems, national investment strategies must be designed in close co‑ordination with subnational governments to ensure alignment across governance levels. Subnational IPAs often hold the operational mandate for investment attraction and facilitation, while the national government may lead on strategic direction and international positioning. In these contexts, national strategies typically serve as a unifying framework that guides shared priorities, fosters coherence in messaging, and avoids duplication of effort. For example, countries like the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and Switzerland engage subnational stakeholders throughout the strategy design process, establishing joint working groups and shared targets to promote ownership and policy alignment. This collaborative approach helps ensure that national investment strategies reflect the diverse economic profiles and sectoral strengths of different regions, while presenting a coherent investment narrative to global investors.
Source: OECD (2020[12]), Investment Promotion Agencies in the time of COVID-19, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/investment-promotion-agencies-in-the-time-of-covid-19_50f79678-en.html; OECD (2020[13]), OECD Investment Policy Reviews: Egypt 2020, https://doi.org/10.1787/9f9c589a-en
While the UAE’s distributed investment promotion system offers flexibility and allows each Emirate to capitalise on its unique comparative advantages, the absence of a unified federal framework results in a fragmented promotional landscape. Without a centralised co‑ordination mechanism or overarching national promotion brand, efforts by local IPAs, including DEDs and free zones such as the DIFC and ADGM, often proceed in parallel, shaped by their respective strategic plans and visual identities. The result is a dynamic but disjointed promotional ecosystem that can undermine the country’s ability to convey a coherent investment narrative to international audiences.
6.4.1. Aligning messages, materials and mechanisms
The lack of alignment across promotional messaging and investor-facing materials is increasingly visible. While DET, ADDED, ADIO and others actively lead global campaigns and roadshows, often under the “Invest in Dubai,” “Invest in Abu Dhabi” or “Invest in Sharjah” banners, these initiatives rarely connect to a common UAE‑wide narrative or branding platform. Free zones similarly run bespoke campaigns tailored to their sectoral niches, sometimes competing for attention in overlapping markets. In parallel, the MoI operates the “Invest UAE” platform, while Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs a separate federal initiative, branded as “Invest in Emirates.” These two federal-level platforms are not formally integrated and may add navigation complexity for investors. Firmly delineating national-level responsibilities for branding and promotion, particularly between the MoI and MoFT, will be essential to clarifying federal leadership, avoiding duplication and ensuring that promotional campaigns at both federal and Emirate levels are aligned under a coherent national investment narrative.
To address this, the MoI could initiate a unification of promotional brands by consolidating redundant platforms and introducing a single national gateway with cohesive branding. This would not entail eliminating local identities but rather providing an umbrella structure that links them logically, allowing investors to explore the full UAE offer without navigating uncoordinated portals or promotional materials. For example, a harmonised “Invest UAE” platform could incorporate hyperlinks to subnational websites and include comparative tools, sectoral dashboards and regulatory summaries. This would enhance the user experience, reduce search costs and align with good practices observed in OECD countries, where national portals serve as single windows aggregating subnational data and services.
Importantly, many smaller Emirates, including Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ajman, currently lack dedicated online portals or websites for their DEDs, putting them at a different level of digital outreach capacity, which can affect their visibility in reaching global investors. Unlike Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, which have well-established digital outreach, these smaller Emirates remain underrepresented in digital investment promotion. The MoI is well-placed to support these jurisdictions in developing basic web infrastructure, investor portals and promotional content that can be integrated into the national branding strategy, strengthening the UAE’s collective competitiveness and ensuring that investment opportunities across all Emirates are visible and accessible to global investors.
Furthermore, a consolidated investment guide, developed by the MoI, could serve as a definitive reference document for investors navigating the UAE’s complex investment landscape. This guide should present the UAE’s system of governance, sectoral priorities, local laws and incentive structures in a unified manner, integrating existing subnational materials where relevant. Such a tool would provide clarity and transparency, reinforce investor confidence and easing decision making. To be effective, this guide should be frequently updated in collaboration with subnational entities to ensure accuracy and reflect changes in regulations, incentive schemes and strategic priorities.
6.4.2. Fostering complementary strategies through regional institutional integration
Beyond tools and branding, stronger institutional mechanisms are required to avoid redundancy and foster complementarity across promotion efforts. Currently, no national platform exists for co‑ordinating promotional priorities, campaign timing or target markets between the MoI and Emirate‑level IPAs. As a result, local actors risk duplicating efforts or even competing against each other to win the same investments without strategic alignment. OECD experience shows that countries with federal structures benefit from institutionalised co‑ordination platforms, such as intergovernmental working groups, shared promotional calendars and co-branded participation in international events (OECD, 2023[3]) (Figure 6.4). For example, France’s Team France Invest provides a co‑ordinated framework that aligns national and subnational authorities through shared tools and messaging to improve the clarity of France’s investment offer and reduce fragmentation across regions (Box 6.4).
Note: EDO denotes economic development organisation.
Source: OECD survey on investment promotion and regional development, 2022.
In the UAE, the MoI could institutionalise such co‑ordination through the creation of a Promotion Working Group, comprising representatives from each Emirate’s IPA and key free zones. This group could agree on shared promotional themes, joint event participation and campaign sequencing. Joint delegations to international summits, featuring common UAE branding alongside distinct emirate offerings, would signal strategic unity and enhance visibility. The SelectUSA Investment Summit model from the United States offers a compelling parallel, bringing together federal actors and regional development organisations under one platform to showcase investment opportunities across jurisdictions. This type of federal convening power can ensure regional voices are heard while maintaining national consistency in outreach (Box 6.4).
The MoI is also well-placed to act as a central repository for promotional intelligence. It could aggregate investor feedback, campaign results and sectoral inquiries gathered from across the UAE and produce quarterly or annual insights to inform both federal and Emirate‑level strategies. This feedback loop would enhance responsiveness, enable more agile campaigns and better align outreach with investor expectations. It would also ensure that emerging opportunities, such as interest from specific geographies or technologies, can be shared across jurisdictions, maximising lead conversion and reducing duplication. In Portugal, the National Economic Internationalisation Programme plays a similar role by supporting local authorities in investment promotion while centrally co‑ordinating messaging and promotion strategies. Likewise, Greece’s Synergassia Programme ensures that foreign embassies and regional authorities are aligned in promoting specific regions through detailed investment profiles and co‑ordinated campaigns, offering a model for how federal actors can drive regional inclusivity.
France – Team France Invest
The Team France Invest system aims to mobilise all the economic development actors to rely on common tools to strengthen the attractiveness of investments in France. It brings together the French authorities in charge of France’s attractiveness at regional, national and international level, and aims to support new investors and to anticipate the needs of already established firms and of territories. It is above all a question of supporting the co‑ordinated action of public actors at different levels of government to ensure better clarity of the available offer vis-à-vis foreign targets.
Greece – Synergassia Programme
The Synergassia Programme aims to foster co‑operation between the national IPA, Enterprise Greece, and the Commercial and Economic Counsellors of Foreign Embassies in Greece to promote the country’s different regions. The programme encompasses a “Regional Compass” that provides foreign investors with information on demographics, available talent pools and economic activity per region. During a Synergassia mission, Enterprise Greece hosts workshops to present the macroeconomic and investment profile of the region along with its comparative advantages. Its objective is to tackle common issues investors face when choosing a location, such as tax, labour and availability of infrastructure.
Netherlands – Invest in Holland Network
The Invest in Holland Network is a collaborative group formed by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, the regional EDOs, the local governments of certain large cities and the Holland International Distribution Council. The objective of the network is to provide free and confidential support to investors looking to start or expand their operations in the Netherlands. They assist in areas such as talent recruitment and the development of public-private partnerships. Portugal – National Economic Internationalisation Programme In 2021, Portugal launched the National Economic Internationalisation Programme, which aims to strengthen the promotion of territories and the skills of territorial agents in their investment promotion and follow-up processes. The programme promotes inter-institutional action to increase FDI flows and achieve a balanced distribution of investment across the country. AICEP Portugal Global closely collaborates with local authorities, promoting different locations across regions to foreign investors.
Sweden – Team Sweden
Team Sweden is a network of public organisations, local agencies and companies that promote investment in Sweden. Business Sweden co‑operates with the network to identify business opportunities, provide support to potential investors and achieve regional complementarity.
United States – SelectUSA Investment Summit
The SelectUSA Investment Summit is an event dedicated to promoting FDI in the United States. It serves as a platform for investors to engage with regional EDOs, industry experts and business startups. During the event, multiple sessions are organised, with topics ranging from regional incentives and workforce development to innovation and technological progress. The attendees can meet and form partnerships with businesses and agencies across the United States.
Source: OECD (2022[2]); L’internationalisation et l’attractivité des régions françaises, https://doi.org/10.1787/6f04564a-fr; IPAs’ websites; and OECD survey on investment promotion and regional development, 2022.
The MoI’s overseas networks through the UAE’s embassies and strategic partnerships could be leveraged more systematically to serve subnational priorities. By consulting Emirates in the design of MoI-led roadshows or bilateral promotional missions, the ministry can ensure that local sectoral goals are reflected in federal initiatives. In return, Emirates can benefit from the MoI’s higher-level access and international networks to amplify their visibility and attract strategic investment. Such a partnership model would preserve the autonomy and specificity of local campaigns while ensuring that national-level efforts act as a multiplier rather than a parallel track. The Netherlands’ Invest in Holland Network exemplifies this model, where the national IPA collaborates closely with regional economic development organisations and city governments to provide seamless support to investors, while maintaining a unified national offer. Similarly, Team Sweden brings together public and private actors to identify investment opportunities and channel them to the appropriate regional counterparts, ensuring complementarity rather than competition.
6.4.3. Balancing neutrality with regional inclusivity
In a federal system, the national IPA must strike a careful balance: it should act as a neutral promoter of the country as a whole, without favouring specific jurisdictions or overriding local strategies. At the same time, it must ensure that less-prominent Emirates are not marginalised in global campaigns. The MoI’s role in providing objective, investor-centric services, such as location analysis tools and impartial facilitation, can help ensure equitable visibility and support across the federation, as is done through Switzerland’s Business Navigator (Box 6.5). It can also use its data platforms to spotlight emerging opportunities in underrepresented regions, ensuring a more inclusive and balanced promotional approach.
Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) has pioneered an investor service model centred around transparent, data-driven location analysis through its flagship platform, the Business Navigator. The Business Navigator is designed to help investors systematically assess potential locations across Switzerland, from cantons to individual cities, using harmonised, comparable and sector-specific indicators. Rather than steering investors toward particular regions, the platform empowers them to make objective decisions aligned with their operational and strategic priorities. Key location analysis services integrated into the Business Navigator include:
Industry ecosystem mapping: investors can identify concentrations of target industries (ie. robotics, AI, fintech) across different regions.
Talent availability assessment: detailed labour market data allow investors to compare workforce skills, languages spoken (i.e. availability of foreign language‑speaking talent) and educational profiles region by region.
Infrastructure benchmarking: access to data on high-speed internet (i.e. fibre optic coverage), transport connectivity and logistics hubs ensures operational feasibility assessments.
Innovation ecosystem insights: the navigator supports R&D-intensive investment decisions by highlighting proximity to universities, research centres and startup clusters.
Real estate and cost analysis: commercial real estate prices, consumer income data and demographic profiles provide essential inputs for cost-benefit evaluations of potential locations.
Fiscal and regulatory environment comparison: corporate tax rates and administrative conditions are displayed clearly, helping investors assess financial and compliance considerations across jurisdictions.
The Navigator enables scenario-based comparisons, allowing users to shortlist locations based on specific needs, such as workforce specialisation, proximity to R&D hubs, or infrastructure readiness and receive real-time, side‑by-side benchmarking of cantons and cities. Switzerland’s Business Navigator is not merely a static data repository, but forms part of a broader service offer. S-GE’s investment advisors use insights from the Navigator to provide tailored, confidential advisory support to investors, ensuring that digital tools and staff expertise work in synergy.
Source: OECD based on S-GE presentation
By co‑ordinating messaging, consolidating platforms and building institutional links between levels of government, the MoI has the tools to evolve the UAE’s current patchwork of promotional efforts into a fully integrated investment promotion ecosystem.
6.5.1. Building a more connected investor journey across authorities
While investment promotion activities aim to attract new investment through targeted outreach and strategic positioning, the effectiveness of these efforts ultimately depends on the broader investment environment investors encounter upon entry. Efficient, transparent and predictable investment facilitation measures are therefore critical to converting investor interest into tangible commitments. Investment facilitation in the UAE encompasses the processes and services designed to ease the establishment, operation and expansion of investments. These services, which include services like business registration, licensing, permits, visa issuance, land access and aftercare, are primarily delivered at the Emirate and free zone levels, reflecting the UAE’s decentralised governance structure.
At the federal level, the MoI could play a strategic role by identifying systemic obstacles to investment and proposing legislative and policy reforms to enhance the investment environment. However, it does not currently administer direct facilitation services or act as a licensing authority. Efforts led by the MoI to establish a unified investment data platform and improve regulatory transparency are ongoing, aiming to support greater national consistency over time. As part of these efforts, providing a centralised information platform would not only enhance transparency but also directly support investment facilitation by offering a comprehensive mapping or repository of administrative requirements across each Emirate. Such a platform could help investors anticipate jurisdiction-specific procedures, such as licensing steps, documentation, timelines, and fees, thereby reducing uncertainty and transaction costs. This multilevel structure provides flexibility and specialisation but can also lead to procedural fragmentation. Investors operating across multiple Emirates or moving between free zones and the mainland may need to navigate different licensing procedures, documentation requirements, timelines and fee structures. According to investors consulted by the OECD, cross-jurisdictional operations sometimes require re‑registration or compliance with divergent regulatory frameworks, increasing administrative costs and creating uncertainty.
To maintain a strong investment climate, simplification, transparency and predictability of administrative requirements and procedures is key. Findings from the 2024 Business Sweden Climate Survey reinforce these concerns, with surveyed investors identifying licensing and permits as one of the least satisfactory aspects of the domestic business environment (Business Sweden, 2024[1]). Many OECD countries have established single‑window systems that centralise business registration, licensing and regulatory guidance across jurisdictions. For instance, Australia’s “Business.gov.au” portal and Canada’s national investment portal provide investors with seamless access to administrative procedures regardless of state or province, supported by integrated data systems and standardised regulatory information (OECD, 2023[3]). Transparency of procedures has improved in the UAE, with many authorities publishing licensing requirements, processing times and regulatory guidelines online (Dubai Chambers, 2025[14]). Nevertheless, challenges have been reported in the areas of transparency and regulatory predictability, particularly, (Business Sweden, 2024[1]) and investors note that further strengthening clarity around decision making processes would enhance confidence. The absence of a centralised federal portal offering comprehensive, multilingual information on investment processes across all Emirates and free zones remains a gap.
Aftercare services (i.e. support mechanisms provided to investors post-establishment), are available in several Emirates and free zones. ADIO in Abu Dhabi and RAKEZ in Ras Al Khaimah, for example, offer aftercare programmes that assist with regulatory compliance, expansion support and issue resolution. However, there is no federal-level aftercare system co‑ordinating investor retention efforts nationally, unlike the integrated approaches observed in many OECD economies, including federal states, where feedback mechanisms and grievance handling are centralised to inform continuous service improvement (Sztajerowska and Volpe Martincus, 2021[11]).
6.5.2. Digital investment portals and facilitation services in the Emirates
Several Emirates have launched digitised portals to improve facilitation services and streamline the user experience. Dubai’s Invest in Dubai platform consolidates business setup procedures, allowing investors to register, license and begin operations through a centralised interface. It integrates with multiple service providers and government entities, offering a single‑window approach for mainland business activities. Abu Dhabi’s Investor’s Journey, managed by the ADIO, provides an end-to‑end digital interface tailored to foreign investors. It offers support from registration through to post-establishment services, including access to incentives and sector-specific guidance. This portal is underpinned by a cluster-based model that aligns with Abu Dhabi’s broader economic diversification strategy.
Free zones, including the DIFC, ADGM and RAKEZ, operate independently managed one‑stop shops (OSSs) with sector-specific facilitation teams and digital support platforms. RAKEZ, for example, functions as a comprehensive OSS, providing centralised services for business registration, licensing, visa processing, land leasing and aftercare support such as tax registration and regulatory compliance. Similarly, the DIFC operates a fully digital OSS tailored to the financial sector, offering company registration, licensing, visa services and access to DIFC Courts, all within a common law-based regulatory framework. ADGM also offers a robust OSS through its Registration Authority, supporting company incorporation, immigration, regulatory approvals and dispute resolution via ADGM Courts. Both the DIFC and ADGM integrate government and judicial services with sector-specific support, making them especially attractive to high-value, internationally mobile investors. While these models represent good practices in digital investment facilitation, they remain siloed by jurisdiction and are not interoperable with each other or with federal systems, underscoring the need for a unifying federal layer to enhance investor navigation and co‑ordination.
Despite these innovations, each portal is developed and operated independently, often without interoperability or shared standards. Investors operating across multiple Emirates, or those unfamiliar with local institutional distinctions, must engage with different systems, repeat documentation processes and adapt to varying regulatory norms. These jurisdiction-specific interfaces can limit transparency, inhibit efficiency and increase transaction costs for investors navigating the UAE as a whole, underscoring the need for a unifying federal layer to enhance investor navigation and co‑ordination. Some OECD Member countries, particularly those with a federal state, have made significant strides in addressing these barriers through national single‑window systems (see examples of Australia and Canada above). These systems benefit from integrated databases and common standards, enabling seamless investor interaction with government services.
The MoI may be well-positioned to address the co‑ordination challenges that characterises the current investment facilitation landscape. While the MoI does not currently deliver direct facilitation services, it has the legal mandate to propose systemic reforms, co‑ordinate with subnational authorities and oversee the creation of a unified digital infrastructure. A pragmatic first step in this direction would be the creation of a national investment information portal.
This federal portal could serve as a navigational hub, offering multilingual guidance, comparative overviews of Emirate‑level requirements, and links to existing investment facilitation portals. It could provide a repository of administrative procedures, licensing requirements, fee structures, and timelines across jurisdictions, helping investors identify the appropriate entry points and reducing information asymmetry. Over time, this information layer could evolve into a co‑ordination tool by integrating Emirate‑level dashboards or metadata, while leaving operational functions under local control. The MoI could also use the portal to promote standardisation across Emirates by convening stakeholders around shared governance frameworks for information provision. In the long run, it may also support light-touch integration features such as document templates, service metrics, or pre‑screening tools. Such a platform would reduce transaction costs, enhance investor confidence, and serve as a bridge between decentralised service delivery and national-level coherence, without undermining the autonomy or innovation of local systems.
References
[1] Business Sweden (2024), Business Climate Survey for Swedish Companies in the Unitied Arab Emiirates 2024: A report from Team Sweden in the United Arab Emirates, https://www.business-sweden.com/49cf29/contentassets/8b14707fa68b487195188c623f53b3a7/business-climate-survey-2024-uae.pdf.
[8] C2ER (2025), State Business Incentives Database, https://www.stateincentives.org/.
[14] Dubai Chambers (2025), Assessing Business Confidence Report: The Role of the Business Colimate Index in Economic Forecasting, https://www.dubaichambers.com/documents/d/dubai-chambers-1/dubai-chambers-accessing-business-confidence-report-2025.
[7] International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (2025), Target Industries Dashboard, https://www.trade.gov/selectusa-target-industries-dashboard.
[3] OECD (2023), Subnational investment promotion and decentralisation in the OECD: Strategies and institutions, OECD Publishing, https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2023/12/subnational-investment-promotion-and-decentralisation-in-the-oecd_e20ce886/ffd0927d-en.pdf.
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[5] OECD (2018), Mapping of investment promotion agencies in OECD countries, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/098e4f0e-en.
[9] Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia (2019), Committee inquiry into Austrade’s role in attracting investment in Australia, https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024250/toc_pdf/Austrade'sroleinattractinginvestmentinAustralia.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf.
[6] SelectUSA (2025), The SelectUSA Investor Guide, https://www.trade.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/2025%20SelectUSA%20Investor%20Guide.pdf.
[11] Sztajerowska, M. and C. Volpe Martincus (2021), Together or Apart: Investment Promotion Agencies Prioritisation and Monitoring and Evaluation for Sustainable Investment Promotion, https://www.oecd.org/daf/inv/investment-policy/Investment-Insights-Investment-Promotion-Prioritisation-OECD.pdf.
[4] WTO (2022), Trade Policy Review - United Arab Emirates, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/s423_e.pdf.