A platform for cooperation

Hubert Charles, Ambassador of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the UAE, has stressed that the UAE and Dominica have strong and distinguished relations at various levels.

In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Charles said that the UAE has a unique vision for the future and a pioneering system for planning and innovation that contributes to achieving comprehensive and sustainable development, noting that many countries are looking forward to benefiting from the UAE’s vision.

The Ambassador added that Expo 2020 Dubai provides his country with a leading global platform to enhance international cooperation, develop areas of partnership, and search for promising opportunities for development and prosperity across various sectors.

Charles indicated that his country is looking forward to building on the distinguished relations with the UAE in order to enhance joint cooperation in many fields.

He stressed that there are promising opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in many fields, and Expo 2020 Dubai provided a platform to inform the world about the opportunities available in Dominica and to work on joint cooperation to achieve development and prosperity.

 Grenada showcases history, culture: The Caribbean nation of Grenada is participating in Expo 2020 Dubai through a distinguished pavilion showcasing its marvellous nature.

In his statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Stephon Benjamin, Organiser of Grenada’s Pavilion, said that the purpose of participating in Expo 2020 Dubai is to showcase the country’s history, culture and traditions, as well as its authentic folklore.

“We aim, through our participation in this key international event, to attract tourists to our country, which is known for its transparent blue beaches and diverse marine life,” he added, noting 67 per cent of the country’s GDP is attributed to tourism.

Grenada has an interesting history reflected by its culture, he added, noting it is known as the “island of spices”, as it produces the largest amount of spices per square mile than any country in the world.

Grenada’s top export is nutmeg, which is called “Black Gold”. It produces 20 per cent of the global production of nutmeg, as well as the best quality cocoa in the world, he said. The main investment areas in Grenada include agriculture, fisheries, healthcare, maritime navigation, yachts, tourism and creative industries, he added.

Various factors attract investment in Grenada, including the availability of skilled labour, the country’s location as a hub for international markets and the best beaches in the world and abundant agricultural crops.

Grenada is known for its lakes, rivers and sulphur springs, 40 white sandy beaches and nine black sandy beaches. The country offers tourists an exciting experience, and they can enjoy water adventures, such as river rafting, sailing, sports fishing, whale and dolphin watching, and snorkeling.

Women entrepreneurs: A 17-member strong business delegation of The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI), chamber member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and industry (FICCI), led by the chamber’s president and MD, Creamline Dairy Products, Mr K Bhasker Reddy, will be exploring potential business tie-ups through these meetings and events.

“Government of India has set up an ambitious target of $400 billion exports for 2021-22 and FTCCI aims at facilitating and supporting the ecosystem. The governments all across the world has captured the flourishing startup community and we are of the opinion that there could be huge synergies going forward between UAE and India and other countries,” said Reddy.

Anil Agarwal, Sr VP, FTCCI and MD of Jeevaka Industries, Mr Meela Jayadev, VP, FTCCI and MD, Sudhakar Irrigation Systems, Mr Gautam Chand Jain, CMD, Pokarana Ltd are among the other industry leaders from the state, who are part of the business delegation.

The members of the delegation will be meeting Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry besides holding B2B meetings with members of the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC). The delegation will also be part of the India-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) business meet and India-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia meet. It will also hold interactive B2B & B2G meetings aimed at promoting trade and investments.

Among the 14 Startups, which will showcase their innovative capabilities, five have been founded by the women entrepreneurs, and are from diverse sectors, including healthcare, edutech, drones, prop tech, fintech, agritech, electric vehicles and apparel. These startups will pitch in the ‘Elevate’ session which is a pitching event that India Pavilion has designed to attract investors and will allow them to display their innovations to look for potential investors. The participating startups will also learn more about the latest sectoral trends, and the events will also include best practice workshops for start-ups and fireside conversations with business leaders.

State Bank of India Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara said recently that India is ready to move into the next orbit of growth with the hugely successful implementation of the COVID vaccination program.

The SBI Chairman visited the India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai and said that the pavilion is presenting the real India, which is full of opportunities, to the whole world in an impressive manner.  

Khara said that the kind of vaccine drive India has seen, makes all the Indians proud, especially because we are using the domestically produced vaccine in a big way. “Actually, it has enhanced the confidence level of the common man as well as the economy,” he added.

SBI Chairman said that the country has lived through one of the most challenging times and has come out of it in a very successful manner that gives the confidence that going forward, the journey should be rather easy, and we should be having a huge opportunity for growth opportunity in the country which I am sure will go a long way in terms of meeting the common man’s aspirations.

 “The credit growth in the economy was quite muted for almost two years. I am sure now with this confidence, the capacity utilization will improve, and with the capacity utilization improving, there will be a revival of investment demand for the corporate sector,” said Khara.

“The government has done a wonderful job by continuing its focus on infrastructure investment, which has gone a long way in terms of giving a push to the core sectors of the economy. And with private corporate sectors coming with the investment, the economy will certainly move to the next orbit of development,” he added.