Dubai FDI launches “Investment Aftercare” guide on how to facilitate and retain foreign investors

This is the first FDI guide of its kind to systematically map the last step of a foreign investor’s journey, and is written by leading FDI advisor Carolina Arriagada Peters; senior economist, David Coble; assistant professor Toby X Li; and serial foreign investor Brendan Lewis.

The lead author of the book, Carolina Arriagada Peters, who is also the managing director of Cities and Collaboration, and the founder of fdiCampus, said: “We have interviewed dozens of IPAs/EDOs, spoken to many investors, and done hundreds of researches to bring the best insights to the industry.”

Aftercare has became a priority for Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) as they strive to boost FDI reinvestments, facilitate investor journey, and accelerate economic recovery, especially after Covid-19.

The CEO of Dubai FDI, Fahad Al Gergawi, said: “We believe investor aftercare has been one of the central pillars that have sustained FDI flows into Dubai and helped the city improve on its leading position in global rankings.”

The launch was held under the patronage of the Hamdan Centre for the Future of Investment (HCFI) ‘IPAs Capacity 2030’ programme, that aims to build capacity, skills, and partnerships needed to realise a $15 trillion (AED 55 trillion), Impact FDI opportunity by 2030.

The executive director of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), Ismail Ersahin, said: “WAIPA collaborates closely with HCFI on ‘IPAs Capacity 2030’ to establish future-fit learning and development for IPAs, enhancing their ability to offer state-of-the-art services.”

The secretariat of OECD IPA Network and economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Alexandre de Crombrugghe, who wrote the foreword of the book, said: “IPAs have a unique role to play in managing government-businesses relationship, especially in terms of the continuous support and responses.”