Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been named as an Official Expo 2020 partner following the signing of a partnership agreement between the two organisations, Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director of Expo 2020 Dubai announced during her opening address today at the Global Business Forum Africa (GBF Africa 2019) in Dubai.

The partnership was signed by Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau and Hamad Buamim, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on the sidelines of the two-day Global Business Forum Africa, taking place in Dubai on 18-19 November.

Dubai Chamber will play a crucial role in creating connections between UAE business and their global counterparts at Expo 2020 Dubai as the Chamber plans to host 30 country-focus briefings, the next editions of GBF Africa and GBF Latin America, as well as the inaugural GBF ASEAN during the six-month event, Al Hashimy revealed.

Addressing UAE and African government and business leaders at the fifth edition of GBF Africa, Al Hashimy described Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry as a steadfast supporter of Expo 2020’s work with African partners and noted that Expo 2020 is working with the Chamber to place Africa at the heart of the upcoming event.

Commenting on the state of UAE-Africa relations, She highlighted the strong and historical bilateral ties and explained how Africa was one of the first continents where the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE, sought to build bridges of cooperation and extend a hand of friendship.

“It is the sense of trust that these long and mutually beneficial links have fostered which is important for the future. The key to any successful relationship - whether among countries or business - is a profound spirit of reciprocal obligation; a readiness to share knowledge, to share costs and to share risks. The relations between the UAE and Africa are rooted in these principles. Even more important is the common commitment to investing in our future and the determination to find our rightful place in a globalised and inter-dependent world,” she said.

Commenting on Dubai Chamber’s partnership with Expo 2020, Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber said: “We are proud to serve as an Official Expo 2020 Partner and look forward to working with Expo 2020 to organise several high-level forums and events during the mega event that will offer an ideal platform for facilitating business exchange and cross border cooperation,” adding that the partnership supports Dubai Chamber’s efforts to promote Dubai as a global business hub and attract companies to the emirate.

Organised by Dubai Chamber under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, GBF Africa takes place November 18-19. Held under the theme ‘Scale-up Africa, the forum brings together heads of state, policymakers, prominent business leaders, entrepreneurs and industry experts from Africa and the UAE to explore new avenues of economic cooperation and prospects for forging new partnerships.

The first cycle of the Global Business Forum (GBF) Mentorship Programme has created far-reaching benefits for participating UAE and African startups and mentors, while it has brought entrepreneurial communities together and identified synergies which can be built upon in the future.

That was the message from  Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who highlighted key achievements of the GBF Mentorship Programme during an interactive session today at GBF Africa 2019 in Dubai.

“We were very encouraged by the overwhelming response and successful results of the first cycle this year – which is why we are delighted to announce our plans to launch the second cycle of the programme in 2020. Through this unique programme, we are expanding the GBF platform and building an entrepreneurial legacy that encourages more startups from the UAE and Africa to go beyond borders and scale their businesses,” said Buamim.

“The GBF Mentorship Programme has broken new ground for startups by creating a reciprocal scheme that takes startups and mentors from one region and pairs them with startups and mentors from another. We hope to expand this programme to new regions in the future and double the number of startups and mentors taking part,” he explained.