BBD at the WAIPA World Investment Conference
Key Takeaways from the WAIPA World Investment Conference in Sharjah
Our co-founder Joe Phillips just returned from two days at the World Investment Conference, hosted by WAIPA, Sharjah FDI Office – Invest in Sharjah and Invest UAE by the Ministry of Investment.
Focus on SIDS, LLDCs, and LDCs
As part of this, he was part of a panel entitled “Looking at the Glass Half Full – The Comparative Advantage of SIDS, LLDCs, and LDCs”. Often perceived through the lens of challenges, Small Island States, Landlocked States, and Least Developed States also offer untapped opportunities and advantages for investors. Our session sought to highlight the unique selling points that make these economies attractive – from strategic geographic positioning, niche market access, and specialized resources to emerging opportunities in sustainable tourism, renewable energy, and digital services. We discussed how these countries can leverage their comparative advantages, create compelling investment value propositions, and position themselves as resilient and high-potential destinations in a competitive global FDI landscape.
Regionalizing investment promotion activities
Joe argued that alongside developing their value propositions, the importance of working together with regional partners is growing, yet most of examples of such collaboration are light touch, and mainly centred around capacity building. Instead, IPAs should seek regionally to develop combined propositions, then combine their promotional efforts, both in terms of human resource, and marketing budgets.
Proactive vs reactive marketing
In addition, we also discussed the importance of proactive marketing and lead generation, alongside reactive work which typically takes up the majority of the time for under-resourced IPAs.
Overall, the conference brought together IPAs and experts from around the world to discuss how investment promotion and good practices are evolving, and was a chance to reconnect with familiar faces, as well as staff from agencies that are now becoming more established as business representatives of their location.
Contact our team to learn how Beyond Borders Development Group can support your next project.