Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE – Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis, alongside U.S. Ambassador to the UAE, Martina Strong, led a U.S. trade delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this week and addressed attendees of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX), the largest tech show in the world.
Chair Lewis’ trip to the UAE came weeks after President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, met at the White House – the first-ever by a President of the UAE to Washington – and pledged to lead global efforts to develop and expand new fields central to the global economy, particularly in advanced technologies and the clean energy required to power artificial intelligence.
“EXIM’s participation at GITEX underscores the importance of joint U.S.-UAE initiatives in clean energy and frontier technologies that will be the engine that powers our interconnected world,” said Chair Lewis. “EXIM’s $2.3 billion of support for AI, quantum computing, and digital sectors, demonstrates the EXIM’s commitment to supporting America’s technological leadership and American companies as they compete in the global marketplace.”
On Monday, at GITEX, Chair Lewis joined over 6,000 exhibitors, including more than 240 U.S. companies, to cultivate public-private partnerships and discuss EXIM financing available to promote sustainable, technology-driven growth. During a main stage fireside chat, Chair Lewis also emphasized EXIM’s deep commitment to fulfilling its mandate in sub-Saharan Africa, noting that EXIM is open for business in 39 countries across the region.
In keynote remarks to the American Chamber of Commerce and U.S.-UAE Business Council, Chair Lewis highlighted the over $24 billion in U.S. exports to the UAE in 2023. She also joined a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the success of Puerto Rican tech and software companies, who attended GITEX for the first time.
On Tuesday, Chair Lewis joined the Kentucky World Trade Center Delegation, the largest U.S. state delegation attending GITEX. Since 2021, EXIM has supported over $700 million in goods and services in exports from 15 Kentucky companies, including 12 small businesses.
In a meeting with H.E. Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, UAE Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs, Chair Lewis underscored the importance of the recent U.S.-UAE Dynamic Strategic Partners Joint Statement, noting the economic opportunity that the U.S.-UAE relationship creates for U.S. companies.
Chair Lewis also joined Ambassador Strong, to announce a $1 billion strategic partnership between e& and Amazon Web Services (AWS), over the next six years to accelerate the impact of cloud-driven innovation and digital transformation across the region. Chair Lewis also met with numerous business executives and joined the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Qualcomm and G42.
As part of an TiE Women event to empower women entrepreneurs across the Middle East, Chair Lewis joined a fireside chat with journalist Suzanne Kianpour. TiE Women, now running in its fifth year, is a program run by TiE Dubai in partnership with TiE Global to embrace, engage and empower women entrepreneurs across the globe. The event was organized by the U.S. Embassy in United Arab Emirates.
On Wednesday, Chair Lewis met with H.E. Mohamed Alhawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Investment, and Mr. Mohamed Kaissi, Executive Director of ADQ, and reaffirmed the U.S.’s commitment to deepening their relationship, particularly in fields like AI, clean energy, and critical minerals.
Chair Lewis also discussed export opportunities for U.S. companies with Carlos Obeid, Chief Financial Officer at Mubadala, and Massimo Falcioni, Chief Competitiveness Officer at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
Finally, Chair Lewis closed her UAE visit with U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi Mission staff to discuss “The Power of Subnational Diplomacy” and a fellowship named in her honor, the Reta Jo Lewis Diplomat Program. As the first-ever Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs, she was the chief diplomat in charge of international efforts to build and support strategic relationships between U.S. Department of State, state and local government officials, and their foreign counterparts.
