Sharjah seeks to boost trade with African countries
By IANSTuesday, February 23, 2010
SHARJAH - A delegation of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has recently embarked on a five-day tour to Kenya, Ethiopia and other African countries as part of its efforts to boost trade ties with the region, WAM news agency reported Tuesday.
The tour, till Feb 25, aims to reinforce trade and economic ties between SCCI and its counterparts in Africa. It also aims to promote emirate’s products and services and allow SCCI members to tap into new markets outside the region.
Director General of SCCI Hussein Mohammed Al Mahmoudi said: “The SCCI’s promotional visit to these key African countries complements the recently formed strategic partnership with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Throughout the years, Sharjah and the UAE, in particular, have enjoyed strong business relations with COMESA member countries.
In fact, the total value of bilateral trade exchange reached 30 billion UAE dirhams (about $8 billion) in 2008, marking a 39 percent increase from 2007, 120 percent from 2006 and accounted for 3.6 percent of the country’s foreign trade, Al Mahmoudi, who is part of the 13-member delegation, said.
These positive results underscore the importance of intensifying the public and private sectors’ efforts to enhance cooperation by creating investment opportunities in vital sectors, he added.
The COMESA includes Egypt, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, Madagascar, Seychelles, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Comoros and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
