Niger marks its National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Niger celebrated its National Day at Expo 2020 with a visit by Mohamed Bazoum, President of the Republic of Niger, a flag-raising ceremony at Al Wasl Plaza, and a musical performance reflecting the traditions and cultural roots of the West African nation.

Mohamed Bazoum, President of the Republic of Niger was welcomed by a UAE delegation headed by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee; Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation,and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai, and Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Mohamed Bazoum, President of Niger, has recently paid a visit to the Dubai Smart Police Station (SPS) at Expo 2020 Dubai, which provides policing services in seven languages to visitors of the global event round the clock and without human intervention.

Bazoum was accompanied by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Supreme Committee, and Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai.

The President of Niger and the accompanying delegation were briefed on the self-service station and its walk-in model, which enable customers to complete transactions smoothly and without visiting the traditional police stations or waiting in queues.

Speaking at a media briefing in the Niger Pavilion, President Mohamed Bazoum said: “Given the reputation of the UAE, it is not surprising that 192 countries have participated in Expo 2020 Dubai, and having African nations present at Expo 2020 Dubai is very important and symbolic. It proves the central role of the UAE in the world today.”

“We signed a certain number of MoUs with the UAE today, and we undertook a project that will allow us in a few years to create huge solar photovoltaic plants as a result. I am confident that our cooperation with the UAE in this sector of our economy, as well as in many other sectors, such as agriculture, livestock, and infrastructure, will develop considerably. We are working towards achieving that.”

Earlier, during the ceremony in Al Wasl Plaza, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan said: “We are pleased to be celebrating Niger, not only as a successful participant in Expo 2020, but also as a steadfast and long-standing partner of the UAE.

“Niger’s participation showcases the nation’s rich heritage as well as its economic and national priorities, driven by the will of its people. The pavilion highlights Niger’s perspective on its own advancement and growth, such as its aim to focus on ICT development as a way to stimulate economic development, as well as its advancements in the fields of renewable energy, infrastructure, agriculture and tourism.”

Singer-songwriter Bombino and his band showcased a true mix of the traditional and contemporary to celebrate the National Day, with their characteristic guitar rhythms, blending rock and blues across Al Wasl Plaza.

Located in the Mobility District, the Niger Pavilion not only showcases the nation’s key mineral wealth, it also provides an overview of the unique travel attractions of this sub-Saharan republic, filled with ancient caravan cities at the edge of the desert. Chief among those attractions are the Neolithic rock art of the Air Mountains and the dinosaur graveyards hiding beneath the dunes of the Ténéré Desert.

National and Honour Days at Expo 2020 Dubai are moments to celebrate Expo’s 200-plus International Participants, shining a light on their culture and achievements and showcasing their pavilions and programming.

Running until 31 March 2022, Expo 2020 has invited visitors from across the planet to join the making of a new world in a six-month celebration of human creativity, innovation, progress and culture.

At Expo 2020 Dubai, SAP hosted a day-long event which brought together Honeywell, the industrial software company that delivers industry-specific solutions, SWVL, a Dubai-based provider of transformative mass transit and shared mobility solutions, Bee’ah, the region’s leading sustainability pioneer, and SAP’s partners – Deloitte and Google Cloud – to discuss on how to leverage technology to build, deliver and operate a smart, human-centric city.

Aligned with Urban & Rural Development Expo Week, SAP organized the Smart and Human-Centric Urban Development Day with the overall objective of providing insights on the importance and how to leverage technologies in the future of urban development, enabling attendees to discover and exchange ideas on how digital can provide a competitive advantage for their businesses.

In the opening speech, Dr. Mark A. Smith, Managing Director for Capital Projects at Deloitte Middle East, highlighted the importance of the data-driven digital lifecycle of projects and said, “the organizations who get technology and digital transformation right becomes a true differentiator in the industry with 5-30% productivity increase”.

Following the event’s theme, Kashif Siddiqui, SAP CX Expert, shared how future cities are built on trust and delivering seamless customer experience. He highlighted that governments could consider adopting technology to “listen to, understand and act” on behalf of their citizens.

Dr Selda Konucku, leading Honeywell Connected Building Business for META Region, said: “We believe that smart building insights play a crucial role in improving the overall building performance and enhancing the quality of life for occupants/visitors. With Honeywell Forge, we create system of record to maximize building health while driving real-time improvements in sustainability, operational excellence and occupant experience. Combining Honeywell Forge’s operational capability with SAP’s financial data, we are also able to provide visibility into portfolio’s financial performance; insights into portfolios’ financial problems thus enable the business leaders to make data driven investment decisions.

The session “Lead the path to autonomous mobility” addressed the importance of the era of multimodal mobility and the emerging customer demands on transiting seamlessly with multiple transport types. Worldwide, the autonomous vehicles market has reached USD 1.65 billion, according to Fortune Business InsightsThe UAE is a global leader, with the government announcing plans to test self-driving vehicles. Dubai’s Autonomous Transportation Strategy calls on 25% of trips to be driverless by 2030.

Shahzeb Memon, Vice President and Global Head of TaaS at SWVL, identified and the three main challenges for the future of mobility: access and reliability, safety, and the costs of inefficient operations. During his speech, he said “These mobility challenges need to be tackled in a smart and efficient manner, focusing on the daily commute, order in travel, and technology for end-to-end transportation services. With SWVL, we provide an on-demand, self-optimizing, supply agnostic, and asset-light mass transit solution. This is packaged into a suite of cloud-based software that can be used by corporations, educational institutions, and transit agencies.”

Moderated by Slawomir Klimowicz, an Industry Advisor at SAP, a fireside chat with Bart Cornelissen, Leader of Deloitte’s Energy, Resources & Industrials industry practice, and Jihad Tayara, CEO of EVOTEQ, Bee’ah’s digital venture, discussed about how technologies can drive in the waste management area in the next five years and the future of utility, using Bee’ah as an illustrative success story. Jihad said: “We focused on two pillars of sustainability and digitalization to deliver better customer experience and retain talents. Customer centricity and human factors are always key success factors for any business.”