The H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, has said Expo 2020 Dubai will offer an opportunity to take UAE-Africa relations to new heights.
According to her H.E. Al Hashimy, the UAE and Africa share historic trade ties because the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Founding Father, travelled to Africa decades ago to strengthen political bonds that would serve future generations.
“From those first contacts, a young country’s vision, driven with determination by its leadership under His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has coalesced into collaborative working relationships that span the continent of Africa and map a shared future,” she said.
Her H.E. Al Hashimy further stated that, the UAE is strategically located between Africa and Asia where the fastest growing economies of the world today can be found.
The session was attended by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; H.E. Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda and H. E. the President of Ghana H. E. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
She encouraged delegates to continue to work toward new partnerships and friendships so that the UAE and Africa can celebrate their joint achievements and build a legacy which future generations can be proud of.
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, the 4th Global Business Forum on Africa kicked off on Wednesday at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah.
The two-day event, organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will run until November 2nd, 2017 on the theme “Next Generation Africa”, the forum explores opportunities to increase cooperation and boost trade and investment ties between the Middle East and the African continent.
The Global Business Forum series, launched by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2013, focuses on Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Latin America. To date, the series has hosted 10 heads of state, 74 ministers and dignitaries, and 5,400 executives, as well as a host of influential decision makers from 65 countries around the world.
