Her Excellency Amna Binzaal Almheiri, Consul General of the U.A.E. in New York, discussed ways to expand trade and commercial ties between the U.A.E. and the Garden State during a 16 March 2022 visit to Newark and Trenton. The Business Council participated in this visit, which involved meetings with New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way, Choose New Jersey CEO Wes Matthews, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the New Jersey-Israel Commission, and prominent New Jersey-based indoor vertical farming company AeroFarms, an important member of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council.

New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way discussed her efforts to promote New Jersey’s vibrant arts, culture, history, and business communities. Secretary Way spoke of the attractions of New Jersey as a tourist destination and the importance of New Jersey exports to the U.A.E., which amounted to over $900 million in 2021.  The U.A.E. serves as a growing gateway for New Jersey companies doing business with the wider MEASA region.

Choose New Jersey CEO Wes Matthews elaborated on his efforts to stimulate job creation and attract capital investment to New Jersey. Matthews explained that companies are driven to invest in New Jersey due above all to its “talent and location,” noting that New Jersey has the highest concentration of PhDs as well as scientists and engineers of any state in the country. Matthews also highlighted New Jersey’s thriving life sciences industry – New Jersey hosts the corporate headquarters of Johnson & Johnson and Merck, among other leading pharmaceutical companies.

Executives at AeroFarms, a world leader in vertical farming, demonstrated use of the company’s proprietary agriculture platform to grow crops more quickly and efficiently with less water and no pesticides – all while being able ensure superior quality, tastes, and textures. Moreover, the company’s executives detailed plans for an Abu Dhabi Research Center (AgX), which will open later this year.

In addition to these meetings, Her Excellency discussed the Abraham Accords with leaders at the New Jersey-Israel Commission, which seeks to foster economic, scientific, educational, and cultural ties between New Jersey and the State of Israel. The New Jersey-Israel Commission helped organize this visit.

In March 2021, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, Choose New Jersey, and the New Jersey-Israel Commission co-hosted a webinar about opportunities for New Jersey businesses within the U.A.E., the historic Abraham Accords, and possibilities for trilateral cooperation. A summary of the discussion can be found here and a video of the webinar can be found here.

For more information about this visit, please contact David Greenhalgh at dgreenhalgh@usuaebusiness.org