The United Arab Emirates celebrates its 43rd National Day on December 2, 2014. The holiday marks the unification of the seven emirates and the founding of the country in 1971 under Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president.

The United Arab Emirates was formed on December 2, 1971, when the UK’s treaty expired and the separate sheikdoms decided to form a Union. At first the UAE was a federation of six emirates- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah, Fujairah and Ajman. The emirate of Ras Al Khaimah was added a year later to the UAE. To celebrate the UAE’s 43rd National Day, the Government of Dubai has planned a number of activities throughout the week.

Successful HLB Middle East & Africa Regional Conference in Mauritius

HLB International’s Middle East & Africa (MEA) conference was successfully hosted last week by HLB Appavoo & Associates in Mauritius. The conference brought together delegates from 24 countries in MEA and the rest of the world, bearing witness to the network’s dynamism in the region. The conference was the occasion for HLB MEA members to strengthen regional and international links and explore business opportunities together, as well as listen to a number of prominent guest speakers including Ken Poonoosamy, Managing Director of Mauritius’ Board of Investment, the country’s national investment promotion agency, and John Madew, Senior Trade Commissioner for Sub-Saharan Africa at the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade).

HLB International has considerably strengthened its presence in Africa in recent years, and the position of Mauritius as a gateway to Africa takes on its full meaning with the network’s present vision towards the development of the continent. In the past two years only HLB International has recruited new members in Niger (also covering the rest of French-speaking West Africa with Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Benin, Mali, Togo & Guinea-Bissau), Eritrea, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda in addition to existing members in Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Nigeria. A new member was recently added in Mozambique.

Commenting on the strength of the network in the MEA region and the role of Mauritius as a global investor’s platform into Africa, HLB International’s CEO Rob Tautges stated: “HLB Appavoo & Associates is a key HLB member firm for the MEA Region and it will be playing an important role in developing our business in Middle East and Continental Africa. We are very happy to be here to discover the beauty of Mauritius, the charm of its people and the business opportunities which exist.”