Dubai Chamber highlights strong trade links with Africa at global conference in London

DUBAI, 13th March, 2017 (WAM) -- The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has highlighted Dubai’s strong trade links with Africa at a global conference in London. The Investing in Africa conference, organised recently by the Wall Street Journal was attended by global investors, businessmen, government officials, and decision-makers. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chamber, highlighted the importance of the Dubai-Africa trade relationship and shared an overview of the chamber’s expansion plans and activities on the continent. He explained the key role that Dubai plays as a major trade hub for many African companies, noting that the chamber has expanded its presence in Africa, and currently operates representative offices in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya. These branches have been extremely effective in stimulating foreign investment into Africa, he revealed, adding that increase in non-oil trade between Africa and Dubai has also been supported by the emirate’s strategic geographic location and excellent logistics infrastructure. Al Ghurair stated that the Global Business Forum on Africa series has become an important platform for facilitating cooperation between African businesses and their UAE counterparts over the last few years, adding that the chamber is planning to host the fourth conference in Dubai later this year. He said, "Dubai’s trade relationship with Africa has gone from strength to strength in recent years, supported by the trade missions led by the Chamber and the expansion of our international offices in promising markets on the continent. The number of African companies registered with Dubai Chamber has now exceeded 12,000, which is a testament to the increased cooperation between both sides." Gulf entities have invested around US$30 billion in Africa’s infrastructure projects over the last decade, while Sub-Saharan Africa has attracted an additional US$2.7 billion in foreign direct investment from the GCC in the first half of 2015. Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda, have seen the largest inflows of Gulf investments. The conference put the spotlight on key trends that are reshaping African economies, while sessions identified risks and opportunities across the continent. http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302602570