By our staff reporter
Graced by the president of Djibouti, the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce hosts the opening of the Third Edition of the Djibouti International Trade Fair on December 3, at the Exhibition Center in Red Sea World.
The chamber, which previously held two successful trade shows before the Covid-19 outbreak, had gone on a hiatus for three years stemming from the pandemic.
The event, which showcases advancements in each edition, this year, attracted a diverse range of attendees and exhibitors from across the globe.
The Ethiopian Ambassador to Djibouti, Berhanu Tsegaye, disclosed that prominent government figures, such as President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed and First Lady Kadra Mahamoud Haïd, visited Ethiopian products and services during the event.
The Ethiopian night was celebrated as part of the trade fair, with the presence of Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, the president of the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce. The ambassador at the ceremony stated, “Along with the 3rd International Trade Fair, we are pleased to explore new business and trade opportunities in Ethiopia.”
President Guelleh, who opened the fair, said such platforms offer Djibouti “the image of a country where tradition and modernity coexist in an atmosphere of conviviality and of fraternity, a country proud to embody the values of peace, freedom, tolerance and solidarity in its identity.”
As Lanation reported that the president welcomed the increasingly obvious enthusiasm generated by the Djibouti international fair, “and put this positive aspect down to the natural vocation of our country to serve, given its geographical position, the crossroads of several continents, a pivot in regional and global trade.”
In his speech, President Guelleh also cited the structural assets and comparative advantages conferred on the country as eminent factors militating in the direction of the attraction which reflects on the business communities of brotherly and friendly countries.
“It is these structural assets and its comparative advantages which create a favorable ecosystem and make Djibouti a privileged destination for doing business in complete freedom and security,” declared the President.
“The Government is sparing no effort to implement reforms, whether macroeconomic, sectoral or legal, in order to create a climate of confidence conducive to investments,” indicated the Head of State.
President Guelleh also took advantage of his speech to emphasize how the Djibouti international fair goes in the direction of adaptation to a world increasingly marked by a process of economic interdependence.
“No country can claim today to prosper in self-sufficiency,” remarked the Head of State, who called for the current interdependence of economies to, “leave room for fully assumed regional integration of our economies”
“The political frameworks for regional and continental integration which are supposed to lead to a single market have been established. This is obviously COMESA and the Continental Free Trade Area,” applauded President Guelleh, reiterating the availability of, “Djibouti to serve as a strategic platform to contribute to considerably increasing the volume of intra-trade. African.”