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With large, easily accessible oil and gas discoveries long since picked over, a continued decline in petroleum production has encouraged a heavy reliance on foreign imports. While new exploration blocks offered up in 2013 could provide potential for more technically challenging opportunities in the coming years, the majority of the coveted offshore areas remain off-limited due to acrimonious territorial disputes. Exploration in new, primarily frontier areas could mitigate the country’s increasing reliance on foreign energy sources to some degree. As the Philippines, along with the rest of the global energy market as a whole, shifts its energy priorities away from crude oil and towards cleaner, more plentiful natural gas, the Department of Energy has set out a road map to establish a new network of gas pipelines to transport gas around Luzon from 2017 to 2022. This chapter contains interviews with Edgar O Chua, Country Chairman, Shell Companies in the Philippines; and Francis Giles B Puno, President & COO, First Gen Corporation.

This chapter outlines the legal framework in which local and foreign investors operate in Abu Dhabi. It includes an overview of the court systems and arbitrations options, a breakdown of the various ways to establish a business in the emirate and a look ahead to the new company and foreign investment laws that are on the way.

The guide contains listings of some of the leading hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi and contacts for government offices and services. It also offers useful tips and information for first-time or regular business and leisure visitors.

This chapter contains an overview of the tax framework in which local and foreign investors operate in Abu Dhabi including a look at the limited tax laws in place and an outline of the incentives available for companies in the free zones.

Just over 50% of Al Ain’s Emirati population is under 20 years old and this young labour force, coupled with efforts outlined in Plan Al Ain 2030 to promote diversification should see the metropolitan area of Al Ain become an economic centre moving forward. The region’s status as an aerospace industry hub is growing rapidly, with this set to generate both direct jobs in the industry and to provide employment and training in non-technical areas. Meanwhile the promotion of eco- and cultural tourism has helped boost visitor numbers to the region, with 641,000 hotel guest nights in 2013, up 12% year-on-year from 571,000, and accounting for 7.3% of all guest nights in the emirate.

The telecoms industry is valued at $7.9bn and currently accounts for 3% of national GDP with the sector witnessing expansion of 6.6% in 2013, comparing favourably with the country’s overall GDP growth of 5.2%. Meanwhile the ICT sector added $5.7bn in real terms to the economy in 2013, representing a rise of 13.2% and equivalent to 2.9% of GDP. Indeed ICT has been a government focus in recent years, representing both a target and an enabler of diversification in the emirate with the public sector acting as the main driver of ICT spending and investment. With this ongoing investment in the sector, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself to capture growing regional demand for technological services while simultaneously putting itself at the forefront of the Gulf’s high-tech future.