Abu Dhabi's Mother of the Nation Festival to return in March

The fourth Mother of the Nation Festival in Abu Dhabi will coincide this year with the Special Olympics World Games.

To mark the occasion, there will be a new Special Olympics World Games zone as well as Cirque du Soleil's first appearance in the capital.

This year running from March 12 to 23, the annual Mother of the Nation Festival pays tribute to the legacy of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the widow of Sheikh Zayed, chair of the General Women's Union and president of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.

The Special Olympics World Games will also be hosted in the emirate from March 14 to 21.

At the festival, which will also highlight the Year of Tolerance, visitors can enjoy performances, participate in workshops and engage in activities.

Abu Dhabi’s Corniche will host musical performances, art exhibits, interactive workshops, a gaming championship and a happiness zone.

Saif Ghobash, undersecretary at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, said: “this engagement embodies the pillars of the Year of Tolerance ... and the values of the Mother of the Nation, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, namely in honouring people of determination by providing them with an inclusive environment."

Cirque Du Soleil will be putting on a show called Bazzar, where acrobats, dancers and musicians will pay homage to the group's legacy. The show is set to run from March 6 to 16 on Yas Island.

Ticket prices for the festival are yet to be revealed, but for Bazzar they range between Dh195 and Dh1,495 and are available online.

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Read more on the Mother of the Nation Festival 2018:

A look around the Mother of the Nation Festival in Abu Dhabi — in pictures

This year's Mother of the Nation Festival promises art, history and fun

Mother of the Nation Festival to be held at new Abu Dhabi corniche development

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if you go

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

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UAE squad

Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)

Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Where can I submit a sample?

Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.

Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
Al Towayya in Al Ain
NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
Bareen International Hospital
NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.

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