Barings is set to launch a UCITS III compliant MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Fund, providing investors with long-term capital growth.

The fund, which will be managed by Dr Ghadir Abu Leil-Cooper, will employ an actively managed strategy using a bottom-up Growth at a Reasonable Price investment philosophy.

Abu Leil-Cooper said, 'The investment rationale for investing in the MENA region is a strong and sustainable one. In our view, economic growth rates are likely to increase by more than 5 per cent a year for the next few years driven by high oil and gas prices, infrastructure spend and consumption.

'With rich oil and gas resources the area has benefited significantly from the rise in global energy prices in recent years. This is set to continue as energy demand from China and other emerging economies is likely to persist, particularly as rapid economic development of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries puts pressure on resources while supply remains tight.'

In addition to this, Dr Abu Leil-Cooper points out that GDP growth is increasingly being driven by more diversified sources, such as tourism and construction.

She said, 'Domestic consumer spending is also taking off as the wealth effect of the oil and gas industry filters down through these economies. The financial outlook for the region remains strong, as these economies on the whole are running a twin current account and budget surplus. Furthermore, the MENA region still offers value, with attractive bottom-up investment opportunities and reasonable share price valuations.'

The fund will be open for investment from 15 March and the portfolio is expected to be made up of between 40 and 60 holdings. It will be marked against the MSCI Arabian Markets ex Saudi Arabia index.