Ras Al Khaimah to Host AIM Investment Summit in 2027 as Emirate Courts Industrial Investors

Al Nuaimi said this year's AIM edition drew more than 40 heads of state and government, and that wider participation is expected when it moves to Ras Al Khaimah. Winning the event gives the northern emirate a larger platform in its push to attract foreign capital into manufacturing, tourism and property, sectors where it competes with Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

He was speaking at the third Ras Al Khaimah Investment and Business Summit 2026, a two-day event opened by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi. It is organised by the Ras Al Khaimah Exhibition Centre and has about 50 exhibitors and sponsors and more than 50 speakers. Al Nuaimi said the summit had drawn more than 2,000 registrations.

He described tourism as one of the emirate's main growth drivers. Visitor numbers have risen from about 100,000 in the early years of the sector's development to nearly 1.5 million, he said, and are expected to reach between 5 million and 8 million over the next three to four years. That would require more hotel capacity and leisure projects, he added.

The Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, RAKEZ, used the summit to set out what it says is ready for new investors. Anas Hijjawi, its head of commercial, described expanded capacity and infrastructure at the Al Ghail Industrial Zone and RAK Central Square, a project that will provide modern office space and services for companies and their staff. RAKEZ said in a statement that it hosts about 1,000 industrial companies within a wider community of more than 50,000 companies from over 100 countries.

Puneet Jain, RAKEZ's head of strategy, spoke on a panel about the federal Make it in the Emirates initiative and building local supply chains. He pointed to opportunities created by construction and real estate growth in the emirate. RAKEZ said it is focusing on attracting supporting and complementary industries and on linking manufacturers with demand in local and regional markets, in line with the UAE's In-Country Value programme.

RAKEZ group chief executive Ramy Jallad said the summit helps turn discussions between government and investors into concrete projects. The event ends on Thursday.