28 March - 3 April 2002
Issue No.579
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 28 March - 3 April 2002 Issue No.579 |
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Pavilions galore
The Cairo International Fair opened its doors to the public this week. Eman Youssef paid a visit
The 35th Cairo International Fair, which opened its doors to the public this week, has attracted participants from 76 countries to the Nasr City fairgrounds.
Prime Minister Ebeid touring the fair (photo: Saad Faggennour)
More than 2,500 foreign firms and 3,500 local companies are displaying a vast array of products, ranging from heavy industrial machinery to stylish furniture and small household appliances. "The number of overseas participants has increased since last year, a reflection of positive foreign perceptions of Egypt's political and economic climate," the chairman of the General Organisation for International Exhibitions and Fairs (GOIEF), Mohamed El-Said, told Al-Ahram Weekly.
Bosnia-Herzegovina is taking part in the fair for the first time, sending 12 companies. The Bosnian pavilion is a significant step towards boosting bilateral economic and trade ties between the two countries, according to El-Said.
El-Said added that this year local products at the fair were higher quality than in previous years, and that local producers were more focused on exports than ever before.
Opening this year's fair, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid pledged that the government would act to eliminate those barriers -- including top-heavy customs procedures -- which participating companies say hinder their commercial transactions.
The Egyptian ministers of agriculture, industry, public sector, supply and internal trade, local development, electricity, transport, Cairo's governor, as well as a number of Arab and foreign ministers of trade and industry also attended the inauguration.
Ebeid said that his talks with a number of Egyptian participants during his tour of the fair focused on projects creating employment for young people. He referred to the importance of supplying the domestic market with local products and of exporting them, arguing that supporting national products created job opportunities.
Ebeid added that the large number of Arab and foreign exhibitors showed that Egypt could attract quality foreign investment. He emphasised that local participants should interact with their foreign counterparts in order to fall in line with new technologies and to further raise the standards of their products. Ebeid visited the Saudi Arabian and Syrian pavilions which display leather products, computer software, textiles and household equipment.
GOIEF, for its part, offered 25 square metres of exhibition space free of charge to participating countries. It also provided "a meeting place to assist networking between Egyptian and foreign businessmen," according to El-Said. Facilities also included a computerised information centre furnishing commercial data to investors.
Overseas exhibitors increasingly view Egypt as a gateway to regional markets.
Companies based in 6th of October city made a particularly strong showing. The agriculture and tourism sectors, alongside furniture manufacturers, were well represented.
Lectures were organised by various chambers of commerce addressing issues related to export, trade promotion and free trade arrangements, especially in the Arab region, according to El-Said. "We hope that the progress made by Egyptian manufacturing and agricultural production companies will help them gain a greater market share, thereby offsetting the current slump," El-Said told the Weekly.
Exhibition organisers say they expect two million visitors before the gates close on 29 March.
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