DUBAI: The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry will organise and host the fourth Global Business Forum on Africa in Dubai in November, it has said. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and prime minister, will host the two day forum themed “Next Generation Africa.” It will bring together 1,000 top-level participants, including government officials, policymakers, business and finance leaders, and entrepreneurs from across Africa and around the world. Delegates will explore the potential of leveraging technology to accelerate growth in Africa, and discuss trade and investment opportunities opening up across the continent. Public and private sector stakeholders from African nations and countries from the Gulf region will highlight recent economic trends and identify mutual areas of cooperation and growth opportunities in key sectors that offer the most potential for foreign companies and investors. It will also examine the role that Africa’s dynamic young entrepreneurs can play in tackling economic and societal challenges, and explore potential for forming long-term partnerships with the aim of filling market gaps and fuelling growth.
Hamad Buamim (pictured), president and CEO of Dubai Chamber, noted that this year’s forum comes at a time when Sub-Saharan African economies are experiencing robust growth, and described Africa’s rising middle class and rapid urban growth as two key trends that are creating exciting prospects, which companies in the UAE stand to benefit from. Buamim explained that participation and interest in the Global Business Forum on Africa has grown significantly over the last four years, and added that the event now serves as an ideal platform for business, finance and government leaders to network, discuss new avenues of cooperation, and develop the fast-growing ties between Africa and Dubai. The global business forum on Africa, the largest event of its kind in the region, is expected to attract a wide range of participants, including top-level government and corporate decision-makers, including African heads of state, ministers and dignitaries, prominent CEOs, heads of private banks, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms, government officials, business leaders, and entrepreneurs. It is part of Global Business Forum series launched by Dubai Chamber.