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I think you're getting a little mixed up & already know the answer which you've looked up because you mentioned Europe & Africa first? \0/
It was the UAE's intention to attract inward investment opportunities to their global investment portfolio to be managed alongside its sovereign wealth fund, underpinned by its oil wealth, as a way of diversifying away from its oil based economy.
This is partly what attracted Sheikh Mansour to buy a PL Footbal Club.
In the 90s/2000s Abu Dhabi realised the need to diversify, so they chose financial, banking & investment portfolio management as a way to attract inward investors, to whom they'd offer a full suite of financial services which they'd manage, underpinned by UK Law.
They were struggling to attract that inward investment regardless of the vast amounts of monies they paid marketing & advertising firms to promote them as a safe, credible, responsible investment opportiny for individuals, corporate entities & governments who could attain generous returns on their investments. A Switzerland in the Desert if you wish.
Circa 2007, the idea was floated to Abu Dhabi to prove their global finance capabilities by buying a sports franchise & turning it into a massive business success, which would not only prove how business savvy they were, but promote Abu Dhabi as a credible place to entrust with global investment funds in the process.
Roman Abramovich was cited as an example of someone who was relatively unknown until he bought Chelsea & turned them into a global football superpower.
Convinced, financial fixer Amanda Staveley was appointed to find a suitable PL Club, & the search began with Arsenal, moved onto Newcastle, then Everton & ended up at Manchester City who Sheikh Mansour purchased to achieve this aim.
It proved to be a masterstroke, which succeeded beyond all expectations. I recall a report on how pleasantly surprised Abu Dhabi were when they attended a major global finance convention, where most in attendance were fascinated by the Manchester City story, & subsequent events first & investment opportunities second.
Manchester City essentially put Abu Dhabi on the global finance map as somewhere to safely invest your money, which would be expertly managed, giving fantastic ROI's. Being part of an investment consortium who bailed out Barclays after the global crash of 2008, further enhanced our business savvy status.
The pimple you keep picking at is the UAE's inward investment offerings to invest in UAE specific projects? The answer's not specifically or limited to, & after our last exchange I don't wish to get embroiled in more nitpicking of irrelevant minutiae, whilst you completely ignore the bigger picture.
I'm pretty sure you've already swotted up on the following, but here they are again for citation purposes. Knock yourself out. ¯\_(⊙_ʖ⊙)_/¯
https://www.eia.gov.ae/
https://www.adgm.com/setting-up/investment-banking/overview
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/jan/25/amanda-staveley-barclays-manchester-city
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...s-probed-over-ps7bn-arab-bailout-7982699.html
