Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (Dafza) recently conducted a seminar entitled ‘Dubai: Where Global Businesses Meet’ in Singapore in the presence of prominent figures and decision-makers from Singapore’s private and public sectors.

The representatives from Dafza discussed the business and investment benefits of setting up operations in Dubai. The seminar is part of a global marketing campaign of Dafza targeting access to major markets in the world, said a statement.

The seminar was officially inaugurated with welcome remarks from the chief guest of the event, Mohamed Al Qubaisi, UAE Ambassador to Singapore. The day’s agenda included sessions on the economic outlook of the GCC countries, the seminar followed by a question and answer session, it added.

Dafza representatives also facilitated one-on-one meetings with Singaporean companies interested in exploring various business and investment opportunities in Dubai with the freezone as their base of operations.

The exclusive Dafza seminar was supported by Singapore Business Federation, the apex business chamber that champions the interests of the Singapore business community in trade, investment and industrial relations; International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the government agency promoting Singapore’s external economy; the Japan External Trade Organisation; and the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce.

Ahmad Al Mulla, senior manager - sales department, Dafza, said: “The seminar in Singapore revealed how Dubai has become a hub for regional and international business and how Dafza can help Singaporean companies and businessmen leverage the various growth opportunities offered by the emirate.”

“It was an excellent platform for participants to share ideas and suggestions for further strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation between our two countries. Singapore is currently the third largest Far Eastern investor in Dafza so we are confident that we can build on our existing partnerships to entice even more Singaporean stakeholders to consider the freezone as their Middle Eastern base of operations,” he said.

“As the crossroads to three continents, Dubai offers everything that a business needs to grow and thrive, including advanced infrastructure, a stable economy, strong ties with the international trading community, business-friendly policies, and excellent infrastructure. Dubai is the place to be for Singaporean companies and businessmen seeking a regional platform to achieve exponential growth,” he added.

Dafza’s seminar in Singapore is part of a series of international visits that the freezone has been organising to touch base with its global partners. The UAE is currently one of the largest trade partners of Singapore, with bilateral trade between the two countries reaching Dh80 billion ($21.7 billion) in 2013. Singapore shares many affinities with the emirates such as being geographically small and yet highly developed and adopting principled and sensible foreign policies.

At Dafza, Singapore accounts for 11 per cent of hosted companies from Asia Pacific, with a number of top Singaporean firms currently operating within the feezone’s growing community of over 1,600 companies representing sectors ranging from automotive and electronics to healthcare and food and beverages, it added. – TradeArabia News Service