Jebel Ali Free Zone has been crowned fDi’s Middle East and North African Free Zone of the Year 2014 for large tenants, while Dubai Multi Commodities Centre scooped the award for SMEs.

Speaking at the US Chamber of Commerce in April, Egypt's minister of finance, Hani Qadri Demian, admitted to weaknesses in the Egyptian economy but said that reforms would be made following the country's elections in May.

With a rising GDP, a perceived overdependence on its oil industry and a deteriorating business environment, according to the World Bank, Uganda's economic progress is difficult to gauge. The country's minister of state for foreign affairs remains confident, however, that government initiatives and heavy investment in infrastructure are moving it in the right direction.

Natural resources, namely oil, have fuelled Middle Eastern economies for the past few decades, but the region's location at a meeting point between East and West also gives it a distinct advantage in the logistics field, something many of its countries are cashing in on.

How do you ensure a country’s economic gains reach the poorest in the population? Robert Collymore, chief of telecoms firm Safaricom, believes he has the answer. 

The ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasami, has witnessed the rapid development of his emirate, as well as the UAE at large, in spite of global economic pressures and regional unrest. He tells Courtney Fingar how creating a business-friendly environment for local and foreign companies, and ensuring the people of the emirate play a full part in its success, are key priorities for him.

Can the discovery of natural gas reserves in Israel bring in investment and spark the country's gas boom?