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DUBAI, 16th November, 2022 (WAM) — The US-UAE Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce in Abu Dhabi co-hosted a small luncheon in Dubai on Tuesday, November 15th to honor Missouri officials, business leaders and community collaborations The partner delegation was led by Missouri Governor Michael L. Parson.
The luncheon explored opportunities to further expand Missouri’s strong business relationship with the UAE, particularly in agriculture, healthcare and technology verticals.
Gov. Parson, on his fourth trip to international trade since taking office in 2018, is visiting Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Greece to build relationships with key international figures and enhance Missouri’s strong trade capabilities. Exports to the UAE totaled $77 million in 2021 from Missouri, and the state is home to the US subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), responsible for the UAE’s largest aluminum export to the US.
The luncheon brought together senior representatives of a small number of US companies with operations in the UAE and Missouri, leadership of prominent UAE and local companies, and US and UAE government officials to interact with members of the Missouri delegation. The delegation also included Missouri Senator Brian C. Williams, State Representative Dean Plocher, Missouri Department of Economic Development Acting Director Maggie Coster, Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Kristen · L. Chinn and others represent Missouri private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Governor Parson and his team spoke about their goals and expectations in the UAE. Their visit included meetings with key UAE companies and government stakeholders, including the Office of the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. The visit concluded with a reception hosted by US Chargé d’Affairs Sean Murphy in association with the US-UAE Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce in Abu Dhabi.
Members of the delegation spoke about the state of Missouri’s trade relationship with the UAE and further opportunities for UAE companies to invest and do business in Missouri. The governor highlighted the unique advantages Missouri offers its businesses, including a high quality of life, low corporate taxes and a strategic location as a central hub for North America.
Missouri Secretary of Agriculture Christine L. Chinn discussed expanding bilateral agricultural and food business ties with the leadership of major UAE agricultural and retail companies including LuLu Group, Mohebi Group and Majid Al Futtaim, as well as prominent US companies in the field such as Tyson Foods and Aerofarms. Fadi Sbaiti, General Manager of vertical farming technology pioneer AeroFarms, discusses the opening of Aerofarms’ first R&D facility in the UAE, which is being built in Abu Dhabi.
The discussion then turned to the transformation of the UAE’s healthcare sector, with Marwan AbdulAziz Janahi, Managing Director of Dubai Science Park, speaking about the UAE’s efforts to become a research and innovation hub. Jamie Phares of Janssen, the pharmaceutical division of J&J, talks about J&J’s deep ties to Missouri and the UAE.
Local representatives of Boeing and Ford, two companies with significant manufacturing operations in Missouri, spoke about their companies’ success in the UAE and offered advice to players in the Missouri business community looking to expand into the UAE market.
The event concluded with a discussion on the success of Expo 2020 Dubai and the importance of the Abraham Accords and COP28 to the UAE and the opportunities they present for US-Arab business partnerships.
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