Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s representative office 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, held in Addis Ababa, was attended by H.E. Mohammed Salem Al Rashedi, UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, H.E. 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, H.E. 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.