The International Fair of Khartoum (IFK),A Prelude to Mutual Investment and Economic Development
05 March, 2013
KHARTOUM, (SUDANOW)—The International Fair of Khartoum (IFK), is planned as an annual economic, tourist, investment and cultural activity. It has succeeded over its past 30 sessions in paving the way to investors and commercial companies for investment in the Sudan. According to participants and organizers of the 30th session, it also enabled the Sudanese nationals to acquaint themselves with foreign markets.
.More than 18 foreign countries and more than 650 local and international companies are participating in the IFK 30th session which kicked off on Monday, January 15, to last until January 29, and inaugurated by Vice-President Hajj Adam Yusuf. Welcoming the participants to the new session, Trade Minister Osman Omar al-Sharif said the IFK contributes to promoting and reviving the Sudanese economy, creating partnerships and establishing commercial and economic relations for achieving mutual benefits and interests of the countries and companies, especially those of the developing countries. Sharif called for finding commercial and economic ties with nations and integrating the developing countries with the world’s big powers for removing disparities and fighting poverty. He stressed that the Three-year Contingency Programme has achieved the set objectives, including attraction of foreign investments.For his part, the Director-General of the Sudanese Company for Duty-free Zones and Markets, Awad Abdulla, said during the inaugural ceremony that this economic activity reflects the concept of promoting the Sudanese economy which is rich in natural resources that enable the country, with its strategic position, to upgrade the agricultural and industrial production and ameliorate the services. He said IFK has continued achieving successive accomplishments over the past 30 years, leading to an increase in participation by countries and major international companies in it.
This was manifested in development of the methods of presentation that, in turn, led to the establishment of a relationship of interaction between the Sudan and other nations of the world, said Abdulla, adding that IFK has now become one of the major Arab, African and global fairs.According to Abdulla, the Fair has contributed a great deal to paving the way before foreign investors, a matter that has expanded investments in the industrial and agricultural sectors and consequently to development and boom of the Sudanese economy as well as to attracting foreign investments.The IFK was established in 1976 on the western bank of the Blue Nile, eight km away from Khartoum city center and five km from Khartoum international airport. It occupies 500,000 square meters and includes five modern halls of a total area of 13,500 square meters.It is owned by the Sudanese Company for Duty-free Zones and Markets that organizes the Fair once a year usually in January and early February when the climate is moderate with temperature ranging from 15 to 24 DC.The IFK is a general commercial fair where a wide range of equipment, industrial and agricultural machinery, small motor-cars, trucks of different kinds, consumer’s goods such as ready-made clothes, house utensils, electrical appliances and other commodities are exhibited.
The participants include a large number of companies and institutions from Arab, African, Asian, European and Latin American countries. Eighteen countries and 700 local and foreign companies and institutions took part in the previous session that was held in February 2009 and received 133,000 visitors.
The Fair is open to the public and special programmes and meetings are held for the businessmen and merchants. The Deputy Chairman of the Sudanese Businessmen Association, Nor al-Dinn Saeed, said the Association is willing for strengthening ties with sister and friendly companies for serving the national economy and exchange of benefits with every one of them. The Sudanese businessmen are competent enough for the success of the air through joint cooperation with foreign businessmen, delegates and companies, he added. The Director-General of the Sudanese Company for Duty-free Zones and Markets said preparations have been made well in advance of the inauguration to ensure a successful session.
Exhibition stands have been prepared while security, administrative, technical, services, opening, closing and programmes committees have been formed, he added.The Arab countries taking part in the Fair with large pavilions include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, U.A.E., Algeria and Egypt, while the European include Italy, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, the Asian countries include Singapore and Russia, the African Chad and Nigeria in addition to Brazil from Latin America.
The Director-General of the Duty-free Zones and Markets Company said the wide participation by those countries provides opportunities for presentation of their technologies, finding agents for Sudanese exports and concluding contracts and agreements with the participating businessmen.The Manager of the Turkish Akoklo Company said his company participated three times in IFK that provided an opportunity for publicizing its products which turned out to be highly acceptable by the Sudanese and in this way he said his company has gained good profits. Amira al-Rorweni, the marketing manager of the Egyptian Noberiyah Agricultural Company, said her company participated more than three times and benefited a great deal from participation in IFK found opportunities of investment in the Sudan.Egypt has been participating each year in the IFK and has benefited a lot by concluding many investment agreements with the Sudan, said the manager of the Egyptian Pavilion, Hajj Mohamed Hassan Ahmed al-Miraishid, the Commercial Attaché in the Jordanian embassy in Khartoum, said all agreements were concluded through Jordan’s participation in the IFK and for this reason we are participating in it each year.The organizers say 98% of the planned plots have been covered by the states of Khartoum, Gezira, South Darfur, North Kordofan, North Darfur and River Nile.The Company Director-General has described the current session as distinguished, judging from the level of participation, the preliminary preparations and the accompanying programme of a musical and cultural carnival that also included painting and environmental activities that attract the public.According to the agenda, three panels will be held on the sidelines of the Fair- one on the duty-free zone and its economic impact, another of the COMMESSA role in the economic development and a third panel on the role of the external banks.
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