Africa (Commonwealth) _ The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) will send a trade mission to Uganda and Kenya to strengthen commercial and investment ties between Sharjah and the two African countries. The mission, led by the Sharjah Exports Development Centre (SEDC), will look for ways to strengthen ties and further development as part of the Chamber’s commitment to supporting the local business community, enhancing their activities, and facilitating the growth of industrial and commercial exports from Sharjah.
The delegation is led by SCCI Chairman Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, who is joined by numerous members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, including Abdulaziz Mohammed Shattaf, Assistant Director-General of the Sharjah Communication and Business chamber.
The delegation also comprises Chamber and Centre executives, as well as renowned businesspeople and leaders from Sharjah’s key industrial and commercial institutions. The trade mission’s journey will begin with the first leg in Nairobi, Kenya, where the Sharjah-Kenya Business Forum will be held. The expedition will next go to Uganda to attend business forums with authorities and representatives from chambers of commerce and industry. These business gatherings will look into new cooperation options and will include activities and meetings with business groups from the UAE, Kenya, and Uganda, with the overall purpose of promoting investment potential and building joint economic collaborations.
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Abdullah Sultan Al Owais emphasized that the purpose of this East African mission is to assist the UAE’s strategic ambition of expanding its worldwide trade and investment reach, as well as to broaden its network of international trade partners to stimulate economic development. Al Owais emphasized the mission’s importance not only in identifying opportunities in emerging African markets, but also in enabling national companies and investors to form new collaborations and partnerships with counterparts across Africa, boosting exports and expanding business operations into new geographical areas.
The mission’s agenda is jam-packed with meetings with officials from economic institutions, chambers of commerce, investment promotion agencies, export development and promotion centers, and other relevant entities representing the business community in the target markets, he said.
The trade mission, which runs till November 10, takes place against the backdrop of thriving economic links between the UAE, Uganda, and Nairobi. Uganda’s UAE imports totaled $810,529 in 2022, representing a 20% annual growth rate over the previous five years.
Meanwhile, Ugandan exports to the UAE increased from $300 million in 2009 to $1,065,910 billion in 2021. Nairobi’s UAE imports reached $3,458,269 in 2022, a 47% rise from 2021, while Nairobi’s UAE exports increased significantly, rising from $315,268 million in 2021 to $373,679 million in 2022.The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently hosted a high-level delegation from the Republic of Estonia’s Ministry of Education and Research to examine possibilities and measures to expand bilateral cooperation, particularly in the educational sector.
Both parties addressed the possibility of holding collaborative events to allow educational institutions from the two nations to exchange experiences and explore investment potential during the meeting at the SCCI’s headquarters. The conference was attended by Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Minister of Education and Research of the United Arab Emirates, and Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education and Research of Estonia. HE Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General of SCCI, Abdulaziz Mohammed Shattaf, Assistant Director-General of the Sharjah Chamber’s Communication and Business Sector, and Fatima Khalifa Al-Muqrab, Director of the Chamber’s International Relations Department, were also present, as were other senior officials from both sides. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to improve collaboration, with an emphasis on expanding the role of women.
