Global investment group CDPQ announces stake in infrastructure

  • CDPQ to invest US$2.5 billion in the Jebel Ali Port, the Jebel Ali Free Zone and the National Industries Park through a new joint venture with DP World

Tahseen Consulting highlights Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s investments in DP World’s flagship UAE assets.

This deal foreshadows a push to attract strategic investors to Dubai’s non-Tecom owned freezones

Why is the deal significant?

Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s investment is one of the first times a strategic foreign investor has invested in such a critical piece of infrastructure. The deal is also significant in that it includes an interest in the Jebel Ali Freezone and National Industries Park freezones. 

The agreement foreshadows a push to attract strategic investors to Dubai’s non-Tecom owned freezones. Between this deal and the upcoming Tecom IPO, Dubai seeking strategic foreign institutional and sovereign investors to invest in critical assets is a timely move in its economic codependence soft power playbook. It wouldn’t be surprising to see CDPQ also eyeing the Tecom and Salik IPOs as well as future opportunities to invest in Dubai’s aviation infrastructure.