The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, in partnership with the Alabama Department of Commerce, the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Commercial Service, held an evening reception in honor of a visiting delegation of business leaders from Alabama on 24 September 2019 at the Rosewood Abu Dhabi.
The Alabama delegation, led by Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield, is composed of executives from leading industrial, aviation, energy, and manufacturing companies based in Alabama. The Tuesday reception gave attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the visiting delegation, U.S. and Emirati business leaders from the defense, energy, tech, and manufacturing sectors, and representatives from the Alabama Department of Commerce, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, and U.S. Commercial Service.
U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi Chargé d’Affaires Steve Bondy shakes hands with Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield
The delegation from Alabama is spending a week in the U.A.E. exploring potential partnerships and engagement opportunities. Secretary Canfield explained the trip’s aim as two-fold: to help Alabama companies find qualified contacts and buyers, and to “learn from the UAE as it focuses on innovation in the high tech, advanced manufacturing, and aerospace industries.”
Thus far, the mission has been successful. While in Dubai, delegates concluded constructive meetings with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai Expo 2020, Dubai Future Foundation, and the Accelerator Lab in Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, the delegation will meet with the Ministry of Economy, sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company, industrial conglomerate SENAAT, and McWane Gulf, a division of McWane Inc., a prominent Alabama-based pipe manufacturer.
The mission builds on Alabama’s already-robust trade partnership with the U.A.E. In 2018, total trade between Alabama and the U.A.E. totaled $197 million. Defense equipment, vehicles and industrial machinery, and aircraft and parts are Alabama’s top exports to the U.A.E.
