Al Bowardi visits Sudan’s pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 on Friday.

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs, has visited the Sudanese pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

During the tour, he was briefed about the pavilion’s contents, including more than 184 works of inventors and innovators in the governmental field, private sector institutions, individuals, research and educational institutions, entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized companies in Sudan.

The theme of Sudan’s pavilion is “Sudan the land of endless opportunities”, reflecting the unlimited opportunities and potential of its wealth including agriculture, minerals, livestock, industries, gas and oil that are entering the global market.

Al Bowardi said that the visit reflects the strong ties between the two fraternal peoples, which were established in the era of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and developed in the era of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

At the end of the tour, the UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs hailed the efforts of the organisers of the Sudanese Pavilion and wished them luck and success.

Meanwhile, Dubai Customs, represented by the Corporate Communication Department, has distributed 443 free one-day admission tickets for passengers arriving at the emirate’s air, sea, and land ports.

The Expo tickets are given to passengers coming to Dubai through Hatta Border Crossing, Dubai Airports and onboard cruises at Port Rashid.

“It is part of our ongoing support to the world’s greatest show,” said Khalil Saqer bin Gharib, Director of Corporate Communication Department. “Being one of Expo 2020 Dubai’s official supporting entities, we have been strongly aiding and promoting the event through a number of social initiatives and programmes.”

He added, “It is important we keep the momentum in promoting the event until the last day because it is the world’s biggest event and it is the first time the exhibition is hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia regions”.

Dubai Customs’ Strategic Plan 2021-2026 focuses on consolidating sustainable development and reinforcing corporate reputation, better connecting with clients and partners, and providing services of the highest calibre, Gharib noted. Dubai Customs carried out 126 social initiatives in 2021 that targeted 76,500 individuals.

As we enter the final month of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Malaysia Pavilion is gearing up to end the mega event on a high note. March looks to be the busiest month yet with a packed cultural and business agenda, numerous collaborations and a special surprise for the one-millionth visitor to the Malaysia Pavilion.

On the business front, the month kicked off with Johor week, running from 27th February until 5th March, 2022, along with the regular business programmes featuring pocket talks and business matching sessions, visitors can also witness a traditional Johor wedding at the amphitheatre throughout the week at 4:30PM and 8.00PM.

Running from 6th March until 12th March 2022, Week 23 is themed “Smart Selangor Towards a Productive, Livable and Sustainable Future as a Smart State,” which will be led by Invest Selangor Berhad. The Selangor state has set a goal to contribute 30 per cent of Malaysia’s GDP by 2030, with this in mind, the week will be promoting the five core clusters of industries for Investment, namely electrical and electronics, life sciences( biotechnology), transport and equipment (aerospace), machinery and equipment, and food and beverage industries. Business leaders can look forward to an investment forum, sharing sessions and an eye-to-eye business negotiation programme and special activities, and the “Splendid Selangor, Take me Anywhere” tourism campaign.

The state of Melaka will take the spotlight from 13th March until 19th March, 2022 with a focus on tourism and manufacturing in multiple industries, including semiconductors and food. Melaka State Economic Planning Unit is the lead with the Chief Minister of Melaka, The Right Honourable Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Haji Sulaiman bin Md Ali officially opening the week on 14th March 2022. Visitors can also look forward to colourful cultural performances by troupes from Briged Seni and Yong Tai-Encore Melaka.

Shifting gears in week 24, the Ministry of Environment and Water Malaysia and lead agency National Water Services Commission (SPAN) will run Water Week from 20th March through to 26th March 2022. Malaysia aims to develop holistic and sustainable water demand management strategies for nationwide implementation, with the key objective of achieving a more sustainable and secure water source in the future. SPAN will use Expo 2020 as a platform to share knowledge and experience from various countries in managing water demand strategies.

Closing Expo 2020 Dubai, the last week at the Malaysia Pavilion is themed “Circular Economy”, organised by the Ministry of Environment & Water Malaysia with lead agency Malaysian Green Technology & Climate Change Corporation (MGTC). This week will be a platform to promote Government and private initiatives in adopting a circular economy for responsible businesses by improving the design of products, optimising production processes and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility. The week will also feature the Circular Economy Conference where a panel of distinguished international speakers will share the latest insights from policy to technology and business.

On the cultural front, the Malaysia Pavilion will collaborate with several other country pavilions to give visitors a fused cultural experience. These include: Friday, 4th March 2022 from 6:30PM until 7:30PM — Cultural Collaboration with dance troupes from both Malaysia and Thailand performing at the Thailand Pavilion. Sunday, 6th March 2022 from 12PM until 2PM — Crafts Collaboration where both countries will showcase their traditional crafts  with Malaysian craftsmen conducting  batik and weaving demonstration at the Poland Pavilion.

Sunday, 20th March 2022 in the evening — Cultural Collaboration at the India Pavilion showcasing traditional dances from both India and Malaysia.

On Sunday, 27th March 2022, the Malaysia Pavilion will host the final and highly popular MyButterfly Kite Flying event at Al Forsan Park between 4:30PM and 6:30PM. This will be an exceptional event as Osaka is partnering with the Malaysia Pavilion to celebrate Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, in Japan. Connecting the two Expos’ themes, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” Osaka aims to create smiles by offering visitors smile and umbrella kites.