Economic diplomacy, the practice of using commercial relationships to advance national interests, has long been a cornerstone of Gulf state strategy.
As the region’s economies diversify beyond hydrocarbons, a new generation of investors is refining the approach. Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum is among the most active practitioners of this model, deploying private capital through structures that blur the line between business venture and bilateral partnership.
As chairman of Inmā Emirates Holdings, he has built his outreach portfolio spanning tens of projects across more than 15 countries.
The Dubai-based holding company partners with government-linked entities, executes agreements directly with foreign ministries and state authorities, and focuses on sectors where infrastructure gaps constrain national development.
Inmā’s government-to-government architecture
What distinguishes Inmā Emirates Holdings from conventional investment vehicles is its structural alignment with sovereign institutions. Rather than operating as an independent private equity firm, Inmā frequently partners with UAE government-linked entities, lending its initiatives the implicit credibility of state backing.
The flagship example is the Karachi Port modernisation project. Inmā, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Ports, secured a 50-year concession agreement with Pakistan’s Karachi Port Trust to manage, operate, and develop berths at the port’s East Wharf.
Abu Dhabi Ports, part of the ADQ sovereign holding company, operates 11 ports and terminals across the UAE and Guinea. By structuring the investment as a joint venture with this government-linked operator, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook positioned the project as a bilateral partnership between nations rather than a transaction between corporations.
The strategic value extends in both directions. Pakistan gains access to operational expertise from one of the world’s most efficient port systems. The UAE deepens its relationship with a strategically significant South Asian partner while establishing a long-term presence in critical trade infrastructure.
Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook has replicated this structure across geographies. The royal is also working to secure a multi-year agreement with the Barbados government for operations, upgradation, and expansion of Grantley Adams International Airport.
The arrangement connects the Caribbean nation to UAE aviation expertise while establishing an institutional relationship that transcends any single commercial transaction.
How is Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum using energy partnerships as diplomatic infrastructure?
Inmā’s energy investments further illustrate how Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook deploys the holding company as an instrument of economic diplomacy.
Energy infrastructure, perhaps more than any other sector, creates the conditions for broader development. Nations with unreliable power cannot industrialise, attract investment, or deliver services effectively. By addressing this constraint, Inmā positions itself and the UAE as partners in national transformation.
In Pakistan, Inmā is developing a green energy project expected to deliver 1,200 megawatts of solar and wind capacity over a 15-year implementation period.
The extended timeline reflects an approach calibrated for relationship-building rather than rapid returns. Local workforce development and supply chain integration accompany infrastructure construction, creating institutional ties that persist beyond project completion.
In Equatorial Guinea, Inmā completed installation of a 36.6-megawatt power plant designed to strengthen energy supply reliability and support the nation’s socio-economic development.
The project addressed immediate infrastructure needs while demonstrating the UAE’s commitment to African partnerships at a moment when Gulf states are competing for influence across the continent.
Digital governance as a diplomatic tool
Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook has increasingly directed Inmā toward digital infrastructure, recognising that governance technology represents a distinctive UAE competency with significant diplomatic value.
The Emirates’ own rapid modernisation required developing sophisticated systems for identity management, service delivery, and digital commerce.
Through Inmā, that expertise now transfers to partner nations.
Key digital governance initiatives include:
- Guyana’s National ID Programme: A five-year project delivering secure digital identity infrastructure, enabling the government to verify citizens, deliver services, and enable financial inclusion at scale during a period of rapid economic transformation.
- Smart device manufacturing in Angola and Equatorial Guinea: Facilities that build indigenous technological capacity, create employment, and reduce dependence on imported technology, positioning the UAE as a partner in industrialisation rather than merely a source of capital.
These digital projects complement Inmā’s physical infrastructure investments, extending the UAE’s value proposition beyond capital deployment into knowledge transfer and institutional capacity-building.
What does this model mean for the future of Gulf investment?
Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum’s approach through Inmā Emirates Holdings represents an evolution in how Gulf investors engage with emerging markets.
By embedding commercial ventures within government-linked partnerships, structuring agreements directly with sovereign authorities, and focusing on infrastructure that enables national development, he has constructed a portfolio where diplomatic and commercial objectives converge.
The model suggests that economic diplomacy need not remain the exclusive domain of sovereign wealth funds and state ministries. Private capital, properly structured and strategically aligned, can advance national interests while generating returns.
For the UAE, the relationships Inmā cultivates today become the bilateral partnerships of tomorrow. For Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, the approach positions him as both investor and diplomat, simultaneously building infrastructure and influence in equal measure.
