Back for its sixth edition, the PPP MENA Forum returns to Dubai at a defining moment for public-private partnerships (PPP) across the Middle East and North Africa.
Across the region, ambitious development programmes are moving from vision to delivery, placing renewed focus on how infrastructure and public services can be financed, structured and operated at scale.
Nowhere is that momentum more evident than in the UAE. Dubai has identified an AED 40 bn PPP portfolio comprising 30 projects across 10 strategic sectors, including water and sewerage, transport, healthcare, waste management, smart cities, housing, culture and public amenities. Among the largest projects is the AED 25bn Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels project, structured under a design, build, finance, operate, and maintain model.
Significant programme
Abu Dhabi is advancing an equally significant programme, with an AED 55bn PPP pipeline comprising 24 infrastructure projects expected to come to market in 2026 and 2027. Together, the announced pipelines in Dubai and Abu Dhabi represent at least AED 95bn in PPP opportunities, underscoring the scale at which private sector participation is being embedded in the UAE’s infrastructure agenda.
Held under the theme ‘A New Era of Opportunity: Building a Stronger, More Resilient MENA Through PPPs’, the two-day Forum will focus on the practical conditions required to move projects from policy and procurement into bankable, investable and deliverable partnerships.
The scale of the Forum reflects the growing breadth of the stakeholder ecosystem surrounding PPP development. More than 500 attendees are expected, including 150 government delegates, over 25 VIP dignitaries and more than 70 expert speakers, alongside 15 government partners and more than 50 sponsors and exhibitors.
Speaker line-up
The speaker and advisory line-up brings together senior PPP and infrastructure specialists from regional and international markets, including Andrew Thomas, Strategic Advisor PPP, WSP Middle East; Moustafa Fahour OAM, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Arada Capital; Nasser Massoud, Founder & Managing Director, Concept Realisation and Chair, Social Sector PPPs Chapter, WAPPP; Nayef AlHaddad, Chairman, WAPPP Chapter, Middle East and North Africa; Mosaab R. Alburih, Chief Public Private Partnerships Officer, Tatweer Buildings Company; and Dr. Eyup Vural Aydin, Chairman, Istanbul PPP Center of Excellence.
The 6th PPP MENA Forum 2026 will take place on 10–11 November 2026 at Palazzo Versace Dubai, UAE.
