Arqaam to host the second GCC and Africa Investors Conference Mid-September 2015 in Abu Dhabi

Monday, August 24, 2015

Arqaam Capital (“Arqaam”), the specialist emerging markets investment bank, today announced that it is hosting its second GCC and Africa Investors Conference on 14 and 15 September 2015 at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.

Over the two days, Arqaam will bring together the senior management teams of over 60 GCC and African listed companies and over 100  investors for a series of one-on-one meetings.

Riad Meliti, Chief Executive Officer of Arqaam Capital, commented “We are building on the success of last year’s inaugural conference by bringing together an even larger group of leading regional companies and major global investors for high-value one-on-one meetings.

“Over the past 12 months, the dramatic fall in the price of oil and the strength of the US Dollar have impacted liquidity, capital spending plans and asset values across the oil producing countries. For companies from these countries, the challenge over the next 12 months will be to manage growth and margins in the current lower oil environment. Meanwhile, in Egypt we are seeing economic reform, infrastructure investment and consumer growth, which has led us to rank Egypt alongside Kenya as the two most exciting growth stories in Africa. While Africa’s powerhouse economies such as Nigeria and South Africa are showing below average growth, the region still offers interesting growth industries, with a dislocation in asset values opening up some attractive value plays.

“We look forward to hosting our guests in Abu Dhabi next month and facilitating the flow of capital into the GCC and Africa.”

As well as the one-on-one investor meetings, Arqaam has also invited global health expert, statistician and data visionary Hans Rosling to present to delegates with a focus on the Middle East and Africa region.. Mr Rosling is renowned for his visual representation of development data to tell stories about past and contemporary economic, social, and environmental changes in the world.