Talking business with Emirati partners is always easy. Having close and resilient international business ties is a strong belief that Germany and the UAE share.
Many German companies, large as well as small and medium-sized, have been calling the UAE home for many years now. Equipped with a transparent and always improving business environment, the UAE continues to act as the primary hub for German firms operating in the region and beyond.
In addition to serving as a trading and service centre of excellence, the UAE is increasingly attracting German companies, adding value locally with their goods and services made in Germany.
The country’s strong manufacturing and engineering industry is turning digital. No wonder that the term Industry 4.0 was actually created in Germany. Together with a vibrant start-up community, Germany has been reinventing itself to remain the economic powerhouse of Europe.
The ambition of the UAE leadership to become a platform for 22nd-century technologies is on the same wavelength with the German approach. Hence, a number of government and private sector representatives have started to embark on a bilateral discussion on how to take the already deep and extensive economic relations to the next level. A good example for this is the upcoming Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit 2020 (GMIS) that will take place during Hanover Messe in April 2020.
Together with a vibrant start-up community, Germany has been reinventing itself to remain the economic powerhouse of Europe.
Two sectors that deserve specific attention are training and education, as well as healthcare. Acknowledging the historically strong pull factor of the Anglo-Saxon educational system, we strongly believe that Germany’s vocational training tools and approach correspond well with the UAE’s plans to enable and prepare local talent for jobs in some of the emerging industries.With the lowest youth unemployment rate in Europe the German model prides itself of being a robust and efficient system which started to serve as a blueprint for many other countries around the globe.
The same is true for the German healthcare system. Complementing the already existing excellent efforts of public and private players in the UAE, German expertise stands ready for developing further the world-class healthcare service providers in the UAE.
Expo 2020
Now focusing on the upcoming highlight of 2020, the German pavilion at the Expo 2020 will depict a comprehensive picture of modern Germany. Under the tag line Campus Germany, the pavilion will focus on the Expo’s sub theme of sustainability. In its long history of innovation and environmentalism, Germany has produced scores of new ideas and approaches. The country’s energy revolution, the Energiewende, has become a global benchmark and the pavilion will be incorporating that pioneering role into the Campus Germany concept of the pavilion too.
Not only Siemens and SAP — two German industrial flagships that are premium partners of Expo 2020 — will be present, but many more companies will participate in the German pavilion, as well as in the special pavilion of the State of Baden-Württemberg. Delegations from Germany will also be travelling to Dubai on this unique occasion.
The German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce (AHK), the official representative of bilateral business relations, will be a key partner for all German endeavours during Expo 2020.
Looking forward to a thrilling year.
— The writer is CEO of the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce (AHK)
