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Tag: Abu Dhabi

  • Report ranks Abu Dhabi, others tax-friendly for investors

    Report ranks Abu Dhabi, others tax-friendly for investors

    Abu Dhabi and Dubai have emerged the top two positions globally for their investor-friendly tax regimes, legal stability, and strong governance.

    According to a report titled: Wealth Report 2025: The Taxed Generation, released yesterday by Multipolitan, a Singapore-headquartered international mobility platform, Singapore secured third place, reinforcing its position as a trusted hub for globally mobile families.

    Specifically, the report introduced the inaugural Tax Friendly Cities Index 2025, ranking Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the top two positions globally.

    The publication offered key insights into the cities best positioned to preserve and protect wealth in today’s evolving global landscape.

    The findings provide timely intelligence for Nigerian investors, emerging high-net-worth individuals, and wealth managers navigating an increasingly complex economic environment.

    As Nigeria’s private wealth segment expands and more families build cross-generational assets, the report offers a practical framework for identifying jurisdictions that offer not just low tax exposure, but long-term access to international markets, regulatory certainty, and sustainable wealth structures.

    Read Also: Of Africa and Abu Dhabi trade relations

    Five other Gulf cities: Manama, Doha, Kuwait City, Riyadh, and Muscat, were also listed among the top 20, affirming the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region’s growing significance as a destination for high-net-worth individuals and families prioritising fiscal efficiency and regulatory clarity.

    The report identified cities that combine favourable tax systems with broader economic and legal frameworks essential to long-term wealth planning. It also includes two additional indices: the Wealth Preservation Cities Index (2015–2025), which ranks Zug, Hong Kong, and Basel as the cities that best preserved purchasing power over the last decade; and the Smart & Sustainable Cities Index 2025, where Wellington, Copenhagen, and Singapore were recognised for their climate resilience, digital infrastructure, and future-focused planning.

    Speaking on the report, Group Head of Market Development, Multipolitan, Nicholas Michael, said: “After a decade in private banking, one truth has stuck with me: where you place your wealth can matter just as much as how you grow it. The UAE & Singapore aren’t just attracting capital, they’re protecting it through fiscal prudence and stable governance.”

    The report is particularly relevant to Nigerian families who are increasingly exploring global mobility, not simply for migration purposes, but as a strategy to secure access to international markets, educational opportunities, and asset protection.

    Also speaking, Executive Partner for Africa at Multipolitan, Chee Okebalama, said: “Wealth that sleeps in uncertainty isn’t wealth – it’s risk. For Nigerian families with foresight, the focus has shifted from chasing returns to securing resilience. Cities like Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Wellington, and Copenhagen top Multipolitan’s indices for their governance, stability, and future readiness. We help families gain residency in cities that reflect these values,”

    In addition to city rankings, The Wealth Report 2025 included expert commentary from leading professionals in tax, wealth strategy, and cross-border planning, including former partners from EY, Deloitte, and BDO. Their perspectives cover topics such as compliance in a transparent world, AI-driven tax strategy, and new jurisdictional opportunities across Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

    The report reflects a growing trend among high-net-worth families: global wealth planning now requires flexible structures, jurisdictional insight, and the ability to respond proactively to changing international regulations.

    Multipolitan is the world’s first and only product-driven global migration platform that simplifies international travel, relocation, business setup, and asset management for borderless enthusiasts.

    Launched in 2024, Multipolitan was co-founded by Nirbhay Handa, a former Group Head at Henley & Partners, and Lee Smith, co-founder, who previously founded payment unicorn Paidy, which was acquired by PayPal for $2.7 billion.

  • President in Abu Dhabi for sustainability week

    President in Abu Dhabi for sustainability week

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday arrived in Abu Dhabi to participate in this year’s edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    The President touched down at 2:14 a.m. local time and was received by UAE’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan.

    During the summit with the theme: The Nexus of Next: Supercharging Sustainable Progress, President Tinubu will highlight Nigeria’s achievements and reforms in energy sufficiency, transportation modernisation, public health improvements, and economic development.

    His presence at the event underscores Nigeria’s commitment to tackling global challenges through sustainable and cooperative strategies.

    Read Also: FG tasks finance ministry on capital market growth

    President Tinubu is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with UAE leaders, focusing on strengthening ties and exploring shared opportunities.

    He is accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and other senior officials of the ministry. He is slated to return to Nigeria on January 16.

    ADSW 2025, a globally recognised event for sustainability innovation, brings together business leaders and civil society representatives to advance sustainable development and foster economic progress.

    In its 15-year history, the summit has established itself as a key platform for forging partnerships and driving impactful initiatives in clean energy and global growth.

  • Fed Govt, Abu Dhabi collaborate on 14,000 qualified artisans

    Fed Govt, Abu Dhabi collaborate on 14,000 qualified artisans

    The Federal Government is concluding plans with the government of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to supply it with 14,000 qualified artisans from Nigeria.

    The artisans, whom the government intends to train and retrain under the Skill Up Artisan Programme (SUPA) of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), would earn themselves golden visas from the government of Abu Dhabi.

    ITF Director-General, Afiz Oluwatoyin made this known yesterday in Abuja at a meeting with associations of artisans and people in the hospitality and tourism industry.

    He said: “The renewed hope agenda of the President now mandates me to carry out the upscaling of the artisans actually. That is the number four in the Act of ITF. But we have not been doing that. The President says it is time because he wants the entire Nigeria to benefit from this government.

    “So, we train them as artisans who have categories depending on the previous knowledge they have. I go back to the UN General Assembly when the President, in conjunction with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Minister of Finance, launched the National Talent Export Programme.”

    Read Also; Police deny alleged kidnapping of 200 in Abuja

    Oluwatoyin added: “We are expecting the majority of talents to be coming from the artisans but you need to polish your talent. You need to polish it to international standard. That’s why I bought the super; that’s why we have been mandated by the President to carry out this assignment. Now, this first three exits, the first exit is like a conduit pipe you know the conduit pipe? It’s a strong one. That’s why I use the word conduit. Those of you who are builders, you know what I’m talking about.

    “We have started talking with other countries, talks have been advanced and we’re signing memorandum of understanding (MoU) with countries. This conduit pipe will organise our artisans and we ask them in that country. What do you need? What trade areas do you need?”

    We all know that, as I’ve said earlier, Nigerians everywhere in the world are the best at what they do. Like you guys are the best and they know this. But the problem they have is that, Nigerians go there by themselves, unorganised.

    “We are already very affirming our partnership with like the Germany and UAE. We have a pipe between us. We ask them what they need. They give us the trade area they need to supply them. We tell them this is the way you treat our artisans. Just as I’ve said in my years in Dubai, I find out that our girls some of them that work in the hotels and hotel management and tourism, “They keep complaining that the Filipinos are given special treatment. When I asked them why, they say yes because of their government supports them and our government has abandoned us but they didn’t go through the Nigerian government. This is the opportunity for Nigeria artisans to go out.

    “By this programme, you can go out as a Nigerian artisan through the Nigeria government through the super program and eventually we would be treated better than the Filipinos. After supplying them with our artisans, we would tell them this is how you treat our people. This is the salary you can give. As a matter of fact, the Abu Dhabi government already told us what they need, we are talking of only the Abu Dhabi government in United Arab Emirates.

    “Abu Dhabi alone is asking us for 14,000 artisans that they will give golden visas. Having worked in Dubai for 19years in the academia, I did not have the golden visa. They give golden Visas to people who contribute billions to their economy. Those are the people they give golden visas to. It is no longer the issue of Nigerians going to Dubai to get involved in bad things like cultism and the rest, they like Nigerians.

    “Our minister presented it to them, they became so happy and they have offered something they don’t even offer some top doctors; they have promised this to our artisans. If you’re going to be giving golden visa that means your salary will be top notch. That means your position of service would be high.

    “We can tell them please this is the type of insurance we want for our people. This is the type of insurance we want for them will be able to talk, will be able to demand. Why? Because we have quality artisans this includes other countries in the Gulf region including Qatar. Qatar is calling us already. So when other individuals see the type of people we’re bringing out, they will also key in. We are looking for countries to key in. They will be looking for us by the time the products start coming out. That is just one leg of our trainers. Some of the trainers will be from you. Some of the trainers will be Germans some of the trainers will be British. Some will be Americans. We are going to bring in trainers.

    “Over the weekend, I was having a meeting with the officials from Abu Dhabi and I asked them to give me their curriculum for these three areas. I said we need your curriculum.

    “There are also many companies in Nigeria. When I came in, I don’t want to mention them. I heard that this particular company in Nigeria shipped in about 10,000 artisans. I don’t want to mention the name some of you know, this is insulting. A as I said over 60per cent of Nigeria are artisans. Well, you cannot blame the company, because our artisans are below international standard.”

    In response, member of the Council of Registered Builders in Nigeria, Tosin Umar urged the government to endeavour it gets in touch with artisans that ITF had trained in the past and connect them to such opportunities.

    He said several artisans in the country are aware of opportunities for them in the region but because they try to seek out such opportunities by themselves without involving the government, they easily get duped by criminals.

  • JUST IN: Tinubu arrives Abu Dhabi for bilateral talks

    JUST IN: Tinubu arrives Abu Dhabi for bilateral talks

    President Bola Tinubu, Sunday night, arrived Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he will be interfacing with the country’s leadership on diplomatic issues.

    President Tinubu, who departed the capital of India, New Delhi, landed at the Abu Dhabi International Airport at about 10:15pm, UAE local time.

    Read Also; Nigeria needs N21tn to bridge housing gap, says Shettima

    Although Nigeria and the UAE continue to maintain their diplomatic relations, contacts became strained when in October 2022 the Emirate authorities slammed a visa ban on Nigerian after Emirates Airlines suspended flights to Nigeria.

    UAE reacted to the failure of Nigeria to repatriate billions of dollars trapped funds belonging to the Emirates Airlines.

    However, President Tinubu started mending relations with the country, which has become a choice destination to thousands of Nigerian travellers for various reasons.

  • Leadway hails Special Olympics team

    Leadway Assurance has described the Nigerian contingent to the just-concluded 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi as true heroes who deserve to be celebrated by the nation.

    Speaking during a reception hosted in Lagos by the Special Olympics Nigeria for the team and various sponsors that made the team’s participation at the Abu Dhabi event possible, Ademola Ayodabo who represented Leadway Assurance’s Head of Corporate Communications, Olubunmi Adeleye, said the team’s total haul of 63 individual medals in eight sporting activities was a testament to the irrepressible Nigerian spirit.

    He added that Leadway was proud to be associated with the great success story of the team both as a sponsor and also for being represented on the Board of Special Olympics Nigeria.

    Ayodabo also promised that the company was committed to sustaining its CSR support for Special Olympics Nigeria.

    Earlier in his welcome remarks, Victor Osibodu, Chairman, Special Olympics Nigeria, said the Nigerian contingent to the games earned global respect for their magnificent achievements in Abu Dhabi.

    Read Also: 60 Nigerians participate in 2019 special olympics

    ‘’I am proud to inform you that we returned home with 63 medals, 32 gold, 21 silver, and 10 bronze medals. These numbers may sound odd but in Special Olympics we celebrate individual athletes and not the event. Therefore, the medals are not counted as per sport but as per athletes, he stated.

    He praised the sponsors, coaches, caregivers and the medical personnel for their dedication and hard work in ensuring the team was in top shape for the Games.

    A breakdown of the Special Olympics team’s 63 individual medal haul shows that the athletes won four gold and two bronze medals in athletics, two gold, seven silver and two bronze in badminton, 10 silver medals in Unified Basketball, one gold in cycling, 12 gold in Unified Football, three silver and one bronze in table tennis, one gold, one silver and five bronze in swimming, and 12 gold in Unified Volleyball, totalling 63 individual medals in eight sporting activities.

  • AXA Mansard sponsors Special Olympics Games in Abu Dhabi

    AXA Mansard, a member of the AXA Group, sponsored the just-concluded Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi, Chief Executive Officer, AXA Mansard Health Plc, Mr Tope Adeniyi has said.

    In a statement, Adeniyi said the  the Special Olympics World Games are held every two years.

    He said Austria hosted the Winter Games in 2017, where 22 athletes represented Nigeria, winning 12 Gold and 10 Silver medals.

    According to him, the Special Olympics World Summer Games  were the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world this year.

    He said: “The need to show our concern and support towards children and young adults that are physically challenged cannot be over-emphasised seeing they have very little opportunity to participate in organised athletic events. Sponsoring the iconic event is our way of ultimately contributing towards the mental and physical wellness of these children.

    “While the games serve to promote the concept of involvement in physical activity and other opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, it also gives an opportunity for children and young adults all over the world to bond and create memories that will last a lifetime, while inspiring them to push beyond the barrier of intellectual disabilities.

    “At AXA Mansard, we remain resolute in making the world a healthier place, as such, we throw our weight behind initiatives that promotes mental and physical wellness in the society.”

  • BEDC sponsors athletes for Special Olympics

    BENIN Electricity Distribution Plc (BEDC) sponsored two athletes to the Special Olympics world summer games in Abu Dhabi, which ends today. It started on March 8.

    The theme for the event  is: “Let me win, if I cannot win, let me be brave in my attempt”.

    It is aimed at driving respect, social inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities in the society. It will mark the culmination of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Special Olympics and the beginning of the next 50 years of the inclusion movement.

    Speaking at the send off at Vigeo Holdings, Lagos State, BEDC Chief Agency and Channels Officer, Mrs. Felicia Nlemoha, commended the Special Olympics team Nigeria for its selfless service to the nation and development of the special children.

    “It is an achievement we should all be proud of because it gives the athletes a sense of belonging and acceptance in the society. We need to speak more on this initiative in order to attract more sponsors in the coming year.

    “We are identifying with the Special Olympics for the first time and will continue to partner SO in ensuring more special children are given a pride of place in the society especially in this era of social inclusion and participation. To the athletes, we are confident of your victory and you will come back victorious,” she added.

    The athletes are Mr. Godwin Friday from Edo State, who will be participating in football and Miss Adewoyin Bukola from Ekiti State, who will be playing table tennis. The donation was part of its corporate social responsibility in making the community safer for children through its safety sensitisation campaigns where the children are educated about safety rules and how to observe best safe practices in their homes, schools and society in general.

    The Chairman, Special Olympics Nigeria, Mr. Victor Osibodu, represented by Mr. Akindayom, said: “The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games will be the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world. It is expected to bring together 7,000 athletes, 3,000 coaches, 1,500 officials, 20,000 volunteers, 3,000 honored guests, 6,000 family members and over 500,000  spectators from over 170 nations.’’

  • Glo sponsors Special athletes to Olympics

    Globacom is sponsoring three members of the Nigerian team to the next Special Olympic World Summer Games slated for Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), between March 14 and 21.

    Nigeria will join other 171 countries to compete for medals in track and field events, featuring athletes with intellectual disabilities; among them being those with autism, down’s syndrome and several forms of learning disorders.

    The beneficiaries who received their cheques at  brief presentation event held at the Globacom headquarters in Lagos are  Miss Tejumola Ogunlela, aquatics; Chima Maduakor – Track and field; Oyinkansola Givens Joseph – Badminton. Glo’s largesse is meant to cater for the cost of training  and travel for the individual athletes.

    Presenting the cheques to the athletes, its Executive Director, Legal Services, Mrs. Gladys Talabi, said the telco had also sponsored two members of the successful Nigerian Contingent to the Special Olympics in 2011. That contingent returned from Athens in Greece with a total of 27 medals comprising nine gold, nine silver and nine bronze medals.

    Talabi said the telco was again sponsoring this year’s participation because the games are meant to improve lives of the special children, helping them  to reach their full potential, and to create greater social inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities.

    She commended the athletes for their determination in the face of disability. She said it was not compulsory that the team should win medals, saying that the fact that they were bold enough to dare despite of their challenges was victory on its own.

  • Pope to visit UAE in February 2019

    Pope Francis will visit Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in February, 2019.

    The trip will enable the Pontiff to attend an interfaith meeting, the Vatican said on Thursday.

    Read Also: Pope Francis to rebuild churches destroyed by Boko Haram

    The trip, the latest by the pope to a predominantly Islamic nation, will take place from Feb. 3 to 5, 2019.

    The Vatican said the Pope had accepted an invitation from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and the tiny Catholic community there.

  • Reps to investigate collapse of Etisalat

    Reps to investigate collapse of Etisalat

    The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Telecommunications to investigate and ascertain the circumstances which led to the collapse of Etisalat Network so as to protect Nigerian subscribers’ interest.

    This was sequel to a motion by Rep. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi (Oyo-APC) on Thursday in Abuja.

    Moving the motion, Akinade-Fijabi expressed worry that the inability of the Etisalat to meet its debt servicing obligations with 13 banks forced its foreign shareholders out of the firm.

    He said the company was eventually taken over by the banks.

    Akinade-Fijabi explained that the take-over was against the letters and spirit of the Nigerian Communications Act.

    “The take-over of Etisalat which was renamed 9mobile by the banks is a clear violation of section 38(1) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.

    “The Act provides that the grant of a licence shall be personal to the licensee and the licence shall not be operated by, assigned, sub-licensed or transferred to any other party.

    “The Act further states that the licence could only be transferred if there is prior written approval by the community.’’

    According to the the lawmaker, Etisalat Nigeria paid almost half of the initial loan amounting to about N504 million dollars.

    “Etisalat Nigeria obtained a loan of 1.2 billion dollars (N377.7billion) in 2013 from 13 Nigerian banks, with a foreign guaranteed bond to finance a major network rehabilitation, upgrade and expansion of its operational base in Nigeria.

    “The company so far paid about half of the initial loan amounting to about 504 million dollars but it had reneged on its debt servicing obligations after the interventions of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the CBN to restructure the loan and new repayment deadline.”

    NAN reports that the company was formerly owned by the are Emirates Telecommunications Group Company with 40 per cent shares, Mubadala Development Company, Abu Dhabi, with 45 per cent shares and EMTS Holding BV has 15 per cent shares in the investment.

    The motion was unanimously adopted by members when it was put to a voice vote by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Yussuff Lasun.

    Read Also: Fidelity Bank takes charge on 9mobile loan