DUBAI: Dubai Chamber has been building bridges between business communities in Dubai and Africa and exploring business synergies between Dubai and East African markets.
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s representative office in Ethiopia organised an East Africa and Dubai agribusiness roundtable meeting to discuss trade, investment opportunities and business synergies. This was held in association with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The event, held recently in Nairobi, was aimed at identifying how Dubai can become a global hub for East African companies and the emirate’s attractiveness as an investment destination.
The meeting was attended by Abdul Razak Mohammed Hadi, UAE Ambassador to Kenya; Charles Kahuthu, chief executive officer (CEO), East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture; Kiprono Kittony, chairman, Kenyan National Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and investors and entrepreneurs from East African companies.
Omar Khan, director, international offices, Dubai Chamber, said: “Dubai is a gateway to the world. Using the city as a base, East African companies can tap into opportunities across the Middle East and into Europe and Asia. However, this can only be done by creating strong partnerships. By working together, we can find mutual benefits for economic growth of our two regions.”
Khan said the Dubai Chamber has been building bridges between business communities in Dubai and Africa and exploring business synergies between Dubai and East African markets which offer opportunities in mining and oil production. They have a population of up to 400 million people, representing a sizeable consumer base for Chamber members looking to expand into Africa.
“We are doing this not only through our branch offices in Ethiopia and Ghana, but annually at our Africa Global Business Forum,” he said. Participants reviewed investment opportunities in several sectors, including meat, livestock and flowers, in the Kenyan market, especially Dubai’s role as a re-exporting market.
Dubai Chamber’s representative office in Ethiopia is one of the two Chamber offices in Africa which was opened to highlight Dubai’s business environment in promising markets.
