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Andy Sambidge

International Editor

UK-based journalist covering all regions and sectors in the Gulf. Andy has worked for local, regional and international media for over 35 years, including more than a decade covering the Middle East. He won the 1991 Press Gazette Campaigning Journalist of the Year

Andy Sambidge
People accept gifts from a man dressed as the Chinese God of Wealth during Spring festival in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province. The region is vital to China's economy

Saudi Arabia courts China’s Shandong province

Saudi Arabia is targeting more investment from the Chinese province of Shandong after hosting a delegation of more than 200 private sector and government officials. The Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority (ECZA), in collaboration with Invest Saudi, entertained the visitors last week with the aim of cultivating investment prospects for Chinese enterprises considering expansion […]

Bahrain musicians golden licence

Golden licences bring $2bn into Bahrain

A total of $2.4 billion in investment in nine major projects has flowed into Bahrain after the introduction of its golden licence initiative last year. The projects, which could generate 3,000 jobs, include the setting up of Bahrain Titanium by Interlink Metals & Chemicals of Switzerland and the urban waterfront development Bahrain Marina. “Bahrain has […]

Italian exporters Dubai boat show 2024

Boats, baubles and balsamic lift Italian exports to UAE

Italian boat manufacturers were out in force at the Dubai International Boat Show earlier this month, doubtless buoyed by the news that nautical exports to the UAE totalled nearly $120 million in the first 11 months of 2023.  More than 20 Italian companies attended the event at Dubai Harbour, part of a strengthening Italy-UAE trade […]

Uzbekistan's retail sector is moving away from traditional markets and towards retail chains

Cenomi’s Uzbekistan debut a sign of Saudi trade ambitions

Saudi retail major Cenomi has announced its debut in Uzbekistan in tandem with the kingdom’s efforts to expand bilateral trade with the Central Asian nation. Uzbekistan is Cenomi’s 11th-largest international market, and it has signed a deal to open eight international brands – including a flagship Zara store – at the newly developed Tashkent City […]

Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s minister of investment, trade and industry, said the two countries are close to finalising the deal

Digital economy focus of UAE-Malaysia trade talks

The UAE is expected to sign a free trade deal with Malaysia by the end of June as the latter courts more investment to develop its digital economy. Talks on establishing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) began last year and Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s minister of investment, trade and industry, said the two […]

Islamic banks had a 42% share of Bahrain's domestic market in 2023

Mergers drive growth in Bahrain’s Islamic finance sector

When Al Salam Bank, one of the largest Islamic banks in Bahrain, became majority shareholder of its Algerian subsidiary last June, CEO Rafik Nayed made clear that the shopping spree was not over. Mergers and acquisitions “will remain an important pillar of our growth plans”, Nayed said – and last month Al Salam announced a […]

CEOs in the UAE have the lowest average current age, but women still only account for 5% of hires

Alstom breaks mould as Gulf lags on hiring women as CEOs

Dalya Al Muthanna is a member of an exclusive club. In January she became Gulf CEO for the transport giant Alstom, the company behind tram systems in Dubai and Qatar.  She was previously a senior executive at GE in the UAE, bucking the trend of men dominating senior C-suite jobs in the Gulf. Just 5 […]

Public sector jobs have traditionally been preferred by Emiratis, but the Nafis programme seeks to change those perceptions

UAE to invest $1.7bn to place more Emiratis in private sector jobs

The UAE is aiming to add 36,000 Emiratis to the private sector workforce this year and has approved a $1.7 billion budget to support Emiratisation. The number of UAE nationals working in the private sector was about 92,000 by the end of 2023, according to the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council. Nearly 42,000 joined private businesses […]

The assembly line at a Stellantis plant in Italy. The company has factories in Algeria, Morocco and Egypt

Stellantis hails Middle East and Africa sales surge

Multinational car maker Stellantis has announced that its 2023 Middle East and Africa revenues grew by 64 percent year on year to more than $11.5 billion. Stellantis is one of the world’s biggest automakers – its brands include Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall. It said shipments to the region totalled 616,100, up 43 […]

AlUla Old Town. The heritage site is one of Saudi Arabia's flagship tourism projects

Volatility of crude markets masks Saudi non-oil momentum

Volatility in global oil markets, which led to Saudi Arabia’s GDP shrinking last year, is masking the strength of the kingdom’s non-oil economy, analysts have said.  Its non-oil revenue is forecast to rise by more than 5 percent in each of the next two years, according to Jadwa Investment. The 2023 contraction was driven by […]

The new deal is intended to improve UK-Saudi collaboration in sectors such as space tech and life sciences

Tech deal aims to improve UK-Saudi trade engagement

The UK and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement on Monday aimed at elevating science and technology links and trade growth opportunities. Officials said the deal will pave the way for the UK and Saudi Arabia to work together on deep science and technology breakthroughs that underpin progress in tackling challenges such as food security and […]

Einride Dhabi

Sweden’s Abu Dhabi truck deal to drive bilateral trade

The UAE’s deal for Swedish tech company Einride to help to build the Abu Dhabi portion of the Falcon Rise Grid electrified road freight system could portend more business between the two countries. Einride will deploy 1,000 electric heavy duty trucks and 100 autonomous vehicles across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and install charging infrastructure. […]

Egypt’s food exports to Europe reached 1.4m tonnes in 2022-23

Egyptian food producer plans European expansion

An Egyptian food producer is planning to expand into European markets on the back of a significant rise in US sales. City Farm, a frozen fruits and vegetables processor, intends to open representative offices in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands first. CEO Mahmoud Lamei said the plan followed “remarkable success” in the United States and […]

Brazil exports many of the foods served at Iftar, the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan

Brazilian exports to Kuwait rise in readiness for Ramadan

With Ramadan around the corner, trade between Kuwait and Brazil has been brisk – the Latin American country plays an important role in supplying the food needed for Iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal that Muslims enjoy during the holy month. Brazilian exports to the Gulf country spiked in November as Muslim importers began to prepare […]

MIITE SME UAE Make It In The Emirates

Make it in the Emirates ‘needs more SMEs’

More than AED120 billion ($33 billion) has been invested by UAE-based companies to develop hundreds of new product lines under the country’s “Make it in the Emirates” (MIITE) campaign. As the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology prepares to host its third forum on local manufacturing, latest statistics show that the number of MIITE products […]

FAB CEO Hana Al Rostamani, pictured here at Cop28 in December, said the bank looks forward to 'facilitating vital trade and investment' between the GCC and China

First Abu Dhabi makes China expansion a priority

First Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s largest bank by assets, plans to triple revenue from its operations in China by 2026. FAB is the only fully licensed UAE-based bank in mainland China and considers growth in the country a “priority” after revenue rose by 50 percent last year to about AED100 million ($27 million).  Group CEO […]

Dubai's Mashreq is among the GCC banks looking for growth in the US and Europe

GCC banks look to US and Europe

GCC banks may be forced to look overseas to fulfil growth ambitions as home markets become increasingly saturated, experts say. While some banks have already ventured abroad – mainly into Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, which constitute nearly a half of their presence outside the Gulf – more developed markets such as the US and Europe […]

DP World's terminal at Dakar in Senegal, one of the countries in the first phase of the decarbonisation project

DP World and Masdar link up for project to decarbonise ports

Two of the UAE’s biggest companies have formed a partnership that aims to decarbonise ports in the Middle East and Africa. Logistics group DP World has signed a three-year agreement with clean energy giant Masdar. Their initial focus will be on ports in Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Egypt. The companies will identify the best sites […]

An Adnoc Distribution service station in the UAE. The company intends to increase its reach in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Adnoc Distribution reveals plans for Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Adnoc Distribution, the UAE’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, plans to increase revenues from international operations in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The company is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and made the announcement during a presentation to investors on Monday when its share price fell slightly. CEO Bader Saeed Al Lamki said it […]

UAE France

Climate transition galvanises ties between UAE and France

Climate transition is becoming a central focus of economic cooperation between the UAE and France as the countries agreed to establish a “Bilateral Climate Investment Platform”. The platform aims to accelerate joint projects and investments in clean energy sectors, with a particular focus on advancing the decarbonisation of industries such as steel, cement and petrochemicals. […]

Iraq is planning a rail project to serve the population of Baghdad, which is expected to grow by a million by 2030

Iraq seeks investors for rail projects in Baghdad and beyond

Iraq is seeking investors for two major rail projects including a seven-line metro system to serve Baghdad’s growing population. The National Investment Commission (NIC) has issued International Investment Opportunity documents for Baghdad metro and phase one of a 90km four-station railway linking Najaf International Airport with Karbala city centre. Investors have until April 11 to […]

A fruit market in Phnom Penh. Cambodia hopes the Cepa will increase its fruit exports to the UAE

UAE’s Cambodia trade deal sets $1bn non-oil target

The UAE’s comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) with Cambodia has come into force as the countries aim to more than double non-oil trade by the end of the decade. The agreement will remove or reduce tariffs on more than 92 percent of product lines, eliminating barriers to trade and improving market access for service exports. […]