Musk in Dubai? Start queuing now

The World Governments Summit was all abuzz with talk that Trump's right hand man might put in a show

February 11, 2025, 6:32 PM

The IMF's managing director Kristalina Georgieva discusses shaping future governments with moderator Richard Quest at the World Governments Summit in Dubai

The president of Poland, Andrzej Dudai, quoted a recent Financial Times headline to the effect that “the world is better seen from Dubai than from Davos”.

It would be hard to find anybody at the opening day of the World Governments Summit (WGS) in Dubai to disagree – except maybe Professor Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, who was in the audience.

The WGS was launched in 2013 by Mohammad Al Gergawi, UAE minister of cabinet affairs, mainly as a way of involving young Emiratis more closely in government processes, but within a couple of years the event had assumed international dimensions.

Now it is a genuine global forum for global leaders in politics, business and academia. The 2025 event boasts 30 heads of state, 80 international organisations, and 140 government delegations.

The semi-official number of attendees on Day One was around 6,000, but it felt a lot more than that in the bustling environs of the Madinat Arena – and therein lies a challenge for Dubai, because the WGS can be regarded as a victim of its own considerable success.

Beside the canals of the Madinat is a wonderful venue, but the splendid Al Johara ballroom – location of the plenary hall – is straining to accommodate all the people who want to see the WGS show.

I waited in a line that showed no sign of reducing to see Al Gergawi’s opening address and Schwab’s keynote – until it was obvious I was not going to get into the packed hall. All the screens in the media centre were showing the plenary events – but were on mute. Tut tut.

I found myself thinking of the wide-open spaces of Expo, which would seem to be a more comfortable home for the ever-growing WGS.

It was mid-morning by the time the crowd thinned out, and by then I had my pick of the world – the chairman of the Kyrgyz cabinet of ministers, or the prime minister of Laos, or the vice president of El Salvador, all on side-stages simultaneously.

Bin Suleyam, who knows a thing or two about global commerce, said to look at what Trump does, not what he says. Sound advice

I opted instead for Sultan Bin Sulayem, chairman and CEO of DP World, in conversation with Abdirahman Abdullahi, president of the Republic of Somaliland, moderated by the forum maestro, John Defterios, in the plenary hall.

I learned two fascinating facts: DP World is investing $400 million in Berbera port in Somaliland, mainly as a gateway to the huge market that is Ethiopia; and Abdullahi hopes that Donald Trump will be the first world leader to recognise the independence of his country, which has been de facto autonomous from Somalia since 1991 but overlooked by the rest of the world.

It was not the first time the US President was mentioned at the summit. Bin Suleyam, who knows a thing or two about global commerce, offered two nuggets: “Trump believes in fair trade, not free trade”; and “Look at what he does, not what he says.” Sound advice.

The next event I’d marked on my agenda was a conversation between CNN’s Richard Quest and Kristilina Geogieva, managing director of the IMF. But this too was oversubscribed, so I had to stand that one out in a group of grumpy delegates all denied access on grounds of overcrowding.

Missing Quest – the Marmite of moderators – was no great hardship, but I would have liked to hear what the IMF boss had to say about the increasingly unpredictable global economic situation, what with new Trump tariffs coming and going daily.

But maybe Dubai will hear it more-or-less from the horse’s mouth later in the week?

There had been a buzz all morning that Elon Musk, the President’s right hand man, was going to put in a show at WGS. He had been seen at Washington DC airport boarding a plane for Riyadh, and would pop over to Dubai from Saudi Arabia to address the summit, it was said.

At the very least, the excited delegates surmised, he would put in a live video appearance. The presence of Trump-whisperer Tucker Carlson at the event suggested the WGS had been given top priority by the White House.

If Musk is to appear in the flesh, I’d suggest attendees grab a sleeping bag and coffee flask, and start lining up outside the plenary hall now.

Frank Kane is Editor-at-Large of AGBI and an award-winning business journalist. He acts as a consultant to the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia