Ezulwini: The Acting Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku has urged businesses and all relevant stakeholders to use the Dubai Expo as an opportunity for the advancement of the country’s economic growth.
The Expo is set to take place from 1 October 2021 to March 2022. According to the Acting Prime Minister the Expo responds invaluably to key areas of the country’s development as articulated in the National Strategic Roadmap and Post COVID-19 Economic recovery Plan.
Masuku was speaking on Wednesday, where he was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Thuli Dladla during the launch of the Dubai Expo programme.
Masuku stated that Eswatini was among the over 192 countries that have been invited to participate.
The Expo is the 34th edition and will be the first to be held in the Middle East. It is billed to be the biggest exposition where over 192 countries will be participating and therefore presents Eswatini with the opportunity to showcase its many charms to the Middle Eastern market and the rest of the world.
Masuku said the country will showcase its diverse and unique offerings in infrastructure, commerce, and trade, technology, and innovation, tourism and travel, arts and culture, knowledge and education, as well as agriculture and food production.
The Expo will also allow Eswatini to display the great strides that the country has taken towards achieving positive and tangible change in the areas of economic development, social justice, and political stability.
Therefore, Masuku said collective participation in the Expo and the economic benefits that will follow, will allow the country to continue supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) and further nurture opportunities for job creation, all of which will empower emaSwati to achieve sustainable development.
The opportunity for Eswatini to participate in the Dubai 2021 Expo was made possible by the UAE government’s generous sponsorship of 23 million Emalangeni, which will assist in the construction of Eswatini’s Pavilion, transportation of exhibition material, and the movement of some of the Eswatini’s Pavilion staff to and from Dubai.
Masuku appealed to the Eswatini business community to recognize the demonstrable value that this Expo will yield towards helping us fulfill the respective corporate and social mandates, subsequently allowing the country to achieve collective goals towards sustainable economic development.
With the multisectoral nature of the Expo, the events program will also allow Eswatini to increase her visibility and visitor reach to ensure maximum exposure throughout the Expo. As such, programming is a key tool to help all participating countries achieve their goals; from supporting nation branding to promoting exclusive tourism destinations and cultural diversity. This initiative will also provide an opportunity for the Kingdom to engage in cultural exchange and create a space to discuss and collectively address some of the most pressing issues facing our world
The Expo 2020 Dubai will give countries a unique opportunity to stage events such as exhibitions, summits, and conferences to promote strategic economic sectors, scientific exchange, professional networks, trade, and investment.
Through these forums dedicated to business it will also give Eswatini a platform to enhance Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Government (B2G), and Government-to-Government (G2G) relationships, contacts, and new business opportunities.
The African Union in close cooperation with the Expo 2020 Dubai is planning to organize several anchor events framed around AU priorities under the theme “Spotlights on Africa”, involving AU officials, private sector, Civil Society Organizations, Diaspora, Academia, African artists, and celebrities with the aim to ensure greater visibility of Africa at the 6-month mega event.
According to Masuku, these events will revolve around a series of thematic focus areas such as Infrastructure, Disaster Risk Reduction and, Trade and investment, youth, Climate-resilience and Solutions for Greater Food Security, and Resilient health. The participants will be mostly AU directors and department heads, institutions, and their key partners such as AUDA-NEPAD, ADB, AfroChampions, Afreximbank, ARC, Africa CDC, among others.
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