The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a fireside chat over breakfast with Governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday, August 8, 2025, at the Ritz Carlton DIFC Hotel in Dubai during her first ever visit to the U.A.E. U.S. Consul General to Dubai Robert Raines made opening remarks, and Dane Johnston, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Regional & Multilateral Affairs and Assistance Coordination at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, spoke of recent developments with the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
Governor Sanders is leading a delegation of state officials from Arkansas to the U.A.E., where she had private meetings with top government and business leaders in Abu Dhabi and Dubai as part of continued efforts to expand trade and attract foreign investment and jobs to Arkansas. At breakfast, Governor Sanders engaged with a variety of prominent U.A.E. and U.S. business leaders about Arkansas’ business environment, key industries, and new avenues of cooperation. Business and government representatives from U.A.E. companies in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras al Khaimah attended the event.
Arkansas has built a competitive business environment with generous tax and investment incentives that have grown and attracted iconic American companies like Walmart. It is one of the lowest-cost states in the country to open a business and is home to growing industries like aerospace and high-tech manufacturing.
Highlights of the conversation, which focused on opportunities for two-way trade and investment with Arkansas, included:
- Reviewing the benefits of doing business in Arkansas, including its affordability, educated workforce, and infrastructure. Under Governor Sanders, Arkansas has invested heavily in both its workforce and grid capacity.
- Noting Arkansas’ economic drivers, including agtech, food and beverages, IT, logistics, heavy industry, and aerospace and defense. Arkansas’ largest export industry is in aerospace and aviation, and it promotes itself as a hub for innovation and high-tech manufacturing. Arkansas is notably home to L3Harris’ Camden, Arkansas “Center of Excellence for Solid Rocket Motor production,” which employs approximately 1,300 people to manufacture more than 100,000 solid rocket motors a year.
- Reflecting on her close relationship with President Trump and the economic implications of President Donald J. Trump’s tax cuts, tariffs, and trade deals.
- Discussing the state of the trade and investment relationship between Arkansas and the U.A.E. and areas of enhanced bilateral cooperation, including in advanced manufacturing, AI, and advanced technology. Governor Sanders is keen to build on the $70 million per year of current exports from Arkansas to the U.A.E., primarily transportation equipment.
Inaugurated as the 47th Governor of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, Governor Sanders is the first woman to serve as governor of the state and currently is the youngest governor in the country. Prior to her historic victory, Governor Sanders served as White House Press Secretary for President Donald J. Trump from 2017 to 2019. She previously worked in a variety of leadership roles for U.S. Senators, Governors, and presidential campaigns.
For more information about the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s programming and this event, please contact Maggie Paddock at mpaddock@usuaebusiness.org.
