Public-private partnership conference to bolster Dubai’s role as a global investment hub

The two-day event in October will see global investment, business and corporate leaders exploring partnerships and innovative financing methods

Dubai sky line. The emirate will organise the Dubai International Public-Private Partnership Conference, the first conference of its kind in the region. Getty Images

Dubai will host an international conference on public-private partnerships (PPP) on October 10 and 11 under the umbrella of the Expo world fair that the emirate is hosting.

The Dubai International Public-Private Partnership Conference, organised by the Dubai government’s Department of Finance (DoF), will gather global investment, business and corporate leaders to explore partnerships and innovative PPP financing methods, the Dubai government media office said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The conference seeks to strengthen public-private sector synergies as part of efforts to enhance the emirate’s business environment and investment attractiveness," Abdulrahman Al Saleh, director general of the DoF, said.

"The highly-anticipated event will help further Dubai’s goal of becoming a leader in creating a PPP ecosystem that generates sustainable financing for advancing development.”

Governments in the Gulf region are increasingly turning to the PPP model, which can help finance major infrastructure and utilities projects. Many of them are developing legal frameworks to regulate PPP projects, which are expected to improve transparency and attract investment.

The event is aimed at decision makers and officials from ministries, government entities, banks as well as local and international companies in the fields of contracting, consultancy, investment and infrastructure development, according to Muna Abdulla, director of the capital projects division at the DoF.

"The conference will shed light on global and regional opportunities and challenges in the investment and financing of significant infrastructure projects," Ms Abdulla said. "It will also demonstrate the importance of the role played by the PPP modality in achieving sustainability in project financing."

The conference will be the first of its kind in the region, according to Arif Ahli, executive director of the planning and public budget sector at the DoF.

It is “a golden opportunity to stimulate dialogue between decision-makers in the public and private sectors to explore potential partnership opportunities and promote innovative financing methods for PPP projects between local and international investors,” Mr Ahli said.

Project financing through successful PPPs has a "vital role" in accelerating infrastructure development in the emirate, he added.