The Ugandan ministry of foreign affairs (MoFA) has partnered with Stanbic Bank to conduct financial training for Ugandan diplomats as the country positions all missions for commercial diplomacy. [...] Under commercial diplomacy, Mugoya said, missions abroad are expected to deliver tangible financial benefits in terms of direct foreign investments. - 

As part of foreign investment promotion efforts, Investing in Peru (inPeru) public-private association's 12th International Road Show will include Toronto (Canada), among its destinations. [...] inPeru's initiative will also serve to further reinforce the Andean country's trade relations with Canada. 

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has finalised preparations for its trade mission to Latin America, which will take place April 15-22 and cover Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The Chamber will lead a high-level delegation of UAE businessmen, investors, and officials, who will represent a wide range of sectors, including trade, retail, free zones, food processing and logistics. 

Newly appointed ambassadors to 12 different countries today discussed on adopting economic diplomacy to enhance Nepal’s trade and commerce relations. [...] Newly appointed ambassadors to Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Myanmar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Qatar participated in the programme.

All told, the Kingdom’s prioritization of its economic reform agenda, its interdependence with regional trade partners, and political uncertainty in the United States point to a period of heightened focus on Asia ties in the immediate future. However, Vision 2030’s dizzying ambition of overhauling subsidies and public sector reliance, coupled with channeling a massive, increasingly well-educated youth population into a fledgling knowledge economy, will necessitate that the Saudis cast a wide net to capture as much foreign investment and diversified revenue as possible. 

In early December Afghan fashion found a place in the Middle Eastern edition of Vogue magazine, lithe models posed in colorful, high-end gowns and accessories made by craftsmen from Afghanistan. The couture in Vogue’s pages was also featured in a United States-sponsored exhibition I visited here in Dubai focusing on Afghan exports, including carpets, fruits and nuts, and marble and precious stones. 

Officials in Qatar and Spain are reportedly mulling the creation of a $1 billion joint investment fund – and a meeting is being scheduled for next year to progress the plans. Spanish ambassador to Qatar, Ignacio Escobar, told Gulf Times in an interview that a bilateral visit by Spanish officials to the Gulf state is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2017, and that the visit could include the signing of an agreement to establish the fund.