Dubai Chamber event sheds light on Ethiopia’s Expo 2020 plans

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

The representative office Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) in Addis Ababa recently hosted an event in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and Industry and the UAE Embassy in Ethiopia, which put the spotlight on Ethiopia’s new plans for Expo 2020 Dubai.

The launch event was attended by Mohammed Salem Al Rashedi, UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ambassador Mesganu Arga Moach, State Minister of Trade and Industry of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Omar Khan, Director of International Offices, Dubai Chamber, and Moosa Al Hashemi, Senior Advisor, Director General Office, Expo 2020 Dubai, in addition to key stakeholders from Ethiopia’s public and private sectors.

During the event, it was revealed that Ethiopia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai would be organised under the theme “The Land of Origins and Opportunities”, with the country’s pavilion showcasing its rich history, culture and the vast trade and investment potential that the country offers across a wide range of economic sectors, including agriculture, tourism and manufacturing.

Addressing delegates during the event, Ambassador Mesganu Arga Moach, State Minister of Trade and Industry of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia said: “Through the past several years of government efforts and the current home-grown economic reform, Ethiopia is set to become a manufacturing hub of Africa by 2025. The opportunities across priority sectors, including, agro processing, textile, apparel, leather and leather products, mining, ICT, power generation and many others will be presented in Expo 2020.”

For his part, Omar Khan elaborated on the state of Dubai-Ethiopia economic ties and highlighted the efforts of Dubai Chamber’s Addis Ababa office in facilitating bilateral trade and building bridges of cooperation between the UAE and Ethiopian business communities.

“As the Official Business Integration Partner for Expo 2020, Dubai Chamber is organising a wide range of business events during the mega event which will provide Ethiopian companies with access to collaboration opportunities, including the largest-ever Global Business Forum Africa which serves as an ideal platform to explore business opportunities emerging across the Ethiopian market,” said Khan.

For his part, Moosa Al Hashemi said Expo 2020 Dubai would showcase the exciting opportunities that Ethiopia is presenting to the world, build on existing UAE-Ethiopia ties and offer an opportunity for the African country to forge new bonds with many other nations at the first World Expo to be hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region.

Earlier, a delegation from Azerbaijan, joined by businessmen representing 27 companies, visited Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s headquarters and held around 204 meetings with potential UAE investors.

The meeting, attended by Mahir Aliyev, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the UAE, examined prospects for expanding Dubai-Azerbaijan cooperation in key sectors and areas of mutual interest, such as trade, agriculture, foodstuff, tourism and construction.

The delegation visit was led by Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) as part of its annual export mission to Dubai. The meeting followed two delegation visits organised by Dubai Chamber’s Baku office earlier this year, which provided an opportunity for Azerbaijani companies to participate in GITEX Technology Week 2019 and Gulfood 2019.

It may be mentioned that the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub.

The Dubai Chamber was established by a decree issued by the late Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum in 1965. Dubai Chamber started its activities with 450 members and a 12-member board of directors. The number of members increased to over 150,000, from all economic sectors, in 2013. There are 24 board members.

Dubai Chamber has the head office in Deira and another branch in Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA). Representative offices are located in Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZA) and the Land Transport Customs Building in Al Aweer.

The Dubai Chamber opened representative offices in Baku, Azerbaijan and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As of 2013 twenty more were expected to open in emerging markets. In January 2015, an office was inaugurated in Accra, Ghana.

The Dubai Chamber launched the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award in 2005. The award recognises and rewards firms that contribute to the UAE’s economic development. It is the highest level of recognition for business excellence that an organisation in the UAE can achieve.