Indian state courts UAE investors after landmark IHC-Adani aluminium deal

Odisha is taking its investment pitch to the UAE after securing a proposed $1.10 trillion integrated aluminium project involving Abu Dhabi-based IHC Group and the Adani Group. The eastern Indian state now wants the deal to open a wider channel into manufacturing, logistics, ports and export-oriented industries.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will lead a delegation to Abu Dhabi and Dubai from September 9 to 11. The delegation will seek meetings with sovereign investors, fund managers, financial institutions and industry leaders as Odisha works to deepen economic ties with the UAE and present itself as a gateway for export-led industrial growth.

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Our confidence is backed by the $1.10 trillion integrated aluminium proposal with IHC Group and Adani Group, which has the potential to create 53,500 jobs. We are here to convert interest into investment and investment into lasting value.

“Our confidence is backed by the $1.10 trillion integrated aluminium proposal with IHC Group and Adani Group, which has the potential to create 53,500 jobs. We are here to convert interest into investment and investment into lasting value,” Majhi told Khaleej Times.

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Odisha’s objective is to build a strategic economic partnership with the UAE and position the State as a preferred destination for global capital, technology and enterprise.

The chief minister said Odisha wanted to move beyond its role as a resource supplier and build value-added manufacturing connected to global supply chains. The state plans to promote metallurgy, downstream metals, food and seafood processing, port-based industrial parks, logistics infrastructure, shipbuilding, rare earth corridors, chemicals and petrochemicals.

Odisha is highlighting its long coastline, major ports and expanding manufacturing base. Majhi said UAE experience in ports, logistics, airports, utilities, tourism and urban infrastructure made the country a natural partner. He described the UAE as “a gateway to the Middle East, Africa and global markets.”

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A gateway to the Middle East, Africa and global markets.

The outreach comes as Indian states compete more intensely for foreign capital. Odisha says reforms involving regulatory simplification, digital approvals and investor facilitation are creating what Majhi called a “predictable, transparent and trust based business environment.” The state expects real gross state domestic product to grow 7.9% in the 2025-26 financial year, while industry accounts for 41.3% of gross state value added.

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Predictable, transparent and trust based business environment.