Muscat: More than 100 Omani companies representing various sectors will participate in next year’s Omani Products Exhibition (OPEX 2016), which will be held for the first time in Africa.
The event, scheduled to be held from April 11 to 14, at Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, is being organized by an Omani government committee formed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) and the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa).
The participating companies represent a wide range of sectors including natural resources, metal, wood and manufactured products, furniture, foodstuff, medical and pharmaceutical products, fertilizers, plastics, minerals, perfumes, leather goods and logistic services.
The committee said Ethiopia is one of the leading and open markets for Omani products and one of the fast-growing economies in the continent.
The committee emphasized that it looks forward to investment opportunities and joint venture prospects in Ethiopia and believes that it is the right time for Omani companies to seize immense business opportunities.
A wide range of opportunities for direct and joint-venture investments exist in the manufacturing sector in particular.
“The Omani Products Exhibition is the most powerful medium of presenting and introducing high quality Omani products to the Africa. We aspire to get some ideas that contribute to the consolidation of industrial sectors and strengthen partnerships with various regional and international institutions,” the committee said.
“As an organizing committee, we expect that OPEX will play a focal role in stimulating the commercial exchange between Oman and Ethiopia, which may result in developing the business of domestic companies and expand their trade to various regional and international markets.”
The committee also aspires to witness positive outcomes of this exhibition by achieving the desired objectives of entering the African market.
OPEX 2016 aims to set common objectives for both Ethiopian and Omani governments to deepen comprehensive partnership, encourage cooperation in industry, technology and commerce, open new horizons for cooperation and integration between Omani companies and their Ethiopian counterparts and help increase the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.
OPEX is building upon the success of the fourth Omani Products Exhibition held in 2015 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and previous editions in Dubai, Doha and Riyadh.
Source :Times of Oman