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MENA NEWSMIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
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EGYPT: Danish Embassy Helps Maersk in The New SuezThe new suez canal opened two years ahead of schedule
MOROCCO: Vestas bids to supply Wind Project in MoroccoVestas visited Morocco and the Danish embassy in relation to a big tender
UAE: Trade Council In Dubai Welcomes SponsorPeopleThe Danish sports sponsorship agency has great succes in Dubai
KSA: Embassy Promotes Danish Vocational Education in Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaMercantec from Viborg is hoping to contribute with vocational education
TC Events & ExhibitionsFuture exhibitions and events comming up in the MENA region
CONTENT | MENA NEWS
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MENA NEWS MENA NEWS
We work for youSee the staff of the Danish representations in the MENA region14
CONTENT | MENA NEWS
The Trade Council is the official Danish Export and Investment Organi-sation. Its purpose is to promote and help Danish companies with matters relatied to export and internationalisation.
In the Middle East and North Africa, you can find Danish representations in Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These representations covers Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and Tunisia.
The Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region is a very diverse and complex area, but represents great opportunities and possibilities for Danish companies and businesses. The Trade Council’s local knowledge, network and many years of expertise can help you enter the market in the MENA region. Our representations offer a wide range of commercial services from market surveys and feasibility studies to partner searches, alliance building and strategic sparring. For many years the Trade Coun-cil has assisted Danish companies based on extensive knowledge in the region, and we are ready to help you as well.
With an ambition to inspire, inform and intriguie the reader about the business possibilities and development potential in the MENA region, MENA News features succes stories of Danish businesses in the MENA re-gion. It is published four times a year by the Head of TC Communication at the Consulate General in Dubai.
MENA NEWS
Iben Bjørgulf AntonsenHead of TC Communication
Consulate General, Dubai
OVERVIEW | MENA NEWS
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DANISH REPRESENTATIONS IN THE MENA REGION
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OVERVIEW | MENA NEWS
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DANISH REPRESENTATIONS IN THE MENA REGION
“Generally speaking, the Danish Trade Council spares no efforts to support our business need. The Danish embassy has played a tangible role during the inaugu-ration of the New Canal, which was made possible after a lot of preparation and coordination between Maersk Line and different stakeholders in Egypt.”
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“Generally speaking, the Danish Trade Council spares no efforts to support our business need. The Danish Embassy has played a tangible role during the inauguration of the New Canal, which was made possible after a lot of preparation and coordination between Maersk Line and different stakeholders in Egypt.”
Photo: Courtesy of Maersk A/S
EGYPT | MENA NEWS
DANISH EMBASSY HELPS MAERSK IN THE NEW SUEZ
After only one year of construction – two years ahead of schedule - the new Suez Canal opened on Thursday 6th of August. The Suez Canal is a vital part of the Egyptian economy, and the expansion is expected to raise the revenue with 150% from USD 5.3bn in 2014 to USD13.3bn in 2023. The Da-nish shipping company Maersk applause the new expansion, and accentuate the Danish representati-ons role during the inauguration to the new canal.
By: Jasmin Sharzad, Danish Embassy in Cairo
Expansion of the Suez CanalThe expansion of the Suez Canal consists of a 35 kilometre long addition, together with the devel-opment of 37 kilometre existing shipping lanes. The expansion runs parallel with the old Suez Canal and is expected to cut down the sailing time through the strait to 11 hours.
Prior to the extension, the northbound transit was 11 hours whereas the southbound transit took 18 hours. According to the Suez Canal Authorities the expansion of the canal is expected to increase the capacity of vessels sailing through from 49 to 97 per day in 2023.
The new canal will make it significantly faster to transport goods between Asia and Europe, which will benefit a variety of companies. Among these are the Danish shipping line Maersk, who uses the Suez Canal to transport 40% of its total transpor-ted volumes.
“In the case of the Suez canal expansion, as a heavy user of the canal approximately 1400 tran-sits in 2014, Maersk Line perceives the project as an impressive engineering undertaking which has been concluded within a very ambitious timeline,” says Amr El Bibany, General Manager of Maersk.
Danish representations play a significant roleAccording to Mr. Bibany, the practical impacts of the new canal, such as the reduced transit time, improved safety by avoiding anchoring in Great Bitter Lakes, and avoiding having to sail via Cape of Good Hope, will be positive for the company. Mr. Bibany emphasizes the importance of the involvement by the Danish Embassy and Trade Council in Cairo:
“Generally speaking, the Danish Trade Council spares no efforts to support our business need. The Danish Embassy has played a tangible role during the inauguration of the New Canal, which was made possible after a lot of preparation and coordination between Maersk Line and different stakeholders in Egypt.”
Ceremonial openingThe importance of the New Canal as a commercial route and an Egyptian prestige project was emp-hasized by the festivities of the opening ceremony. The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi hosted the celebrations, which was attended by more than 120 world leaders and high ranking officials. Among those at the ceremony were the French president, François Hollande, Greek prime mini-ster, Alexis Tsipras, King Abdullah of Jordan and King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain.
Denmark was represented by Prince Joachim, and the official Danish delegation also included Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling, and the Danish ambassador to Egypt Pernille Dahler Kar-del. It was the first official royal visit in 10 years, and highly appreciated by the Egyptian govern-ment.
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MOROCCO | MENA NEWS
VESTAS BIDS TO SUPPLY WIND PROJECT IN MOROCCO
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”The work done by the Danish Embassy was well timed, planned, executed, and has supported Vestas’ engagement in the Moroccan tender process. We look forward to a continued close coordination with the Embassy as wind energy takes on a greater role in the Moroccan energy mix.”
In what way did the Danish embassy in Morocco help you in relation to the tender?For emerging wind markets like Morocco that employs a tender system for new wind energy projects, inclusion of the right stakeholders is key to being competitive. In this regard, the Danish Embassy helped identify key stakeholders and organise meetings, while incorporating the promo-tion of Vestas’ participation in the tender into their daily diplomatic action.
How important is this tender for Vestas?According to the Global Wind Energy Council, Africa is expected to install more than 1GW of wind energy in 2015, with the growth being driven primarily by South Africa, Egypt and Morocco. The Moroccan tender is an important element in the country’s energy strategy, and thus also impor-tant for Vestas as we continue building our presen-ce there and in Africa overall.
MOROCCO | MENA NEWS
In 2014, Vestas installed 158 MW in South Africa and was chosen as the supplier for the 310 MW Lake Turkana Wind Project in Kenya, so Vestas already has a solid presence in Africa. But with the size of the Moroccan tender in mind and Vestas’ ambition to grow faster than the market in emer-ging and established wind energy markets, the ten-der is obviously a high priority for Vestas in Africa.
How would you describe the work done by the Embassy? It was well timed, planned, and executed, and has supported Vestas’ engagement in the Moroccan tender process. We look forward to a continu-ed close coordination with the Embassy as wind energy takes on a greater role in the Moroccan energy mix.
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Photo: Courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S
UAE | MENA NEWS
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“I don’t think that we could have done it without the help and corpora-tion with the Consulate. Often you don’t realise how much work it takes to do all of the things that they have done, and it has been amazing to have the Consulate to help us in this regard. The Consulate is one of the primary reasons to why we are doing business in Dubai today.”Photo: Colourbox
TRADE COUNCIL IN DUBAI WELCOMES
SPONSORPEOPLE
The Trade Council in Dubai has worked with SponsorPeople for al-most a year and is pleased to welcome the company to the UAE. Spon-sorPeople was established in 2003 and can pride itself as being the largest independent sponsorship agency in Scandinavia. In October last year the company started looking towards international markets and found its way to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Less than a year after its first encounter with the Consulate General in Dubai, SponsorPeople has been able to establish good and promising relations to businesses, and to register itself as a company in Dubai.
By: Iben Bjørgulf Antonsen
“We wanted to expand our business to an international market, and started looking at different markets globally. We noticed that the emi-rates already showed a willingness to use sports sponsorships to a large extent, and we contacted the Head of Mission Morten Siem Lynge from the Consulate General in Dubai. We were welcomed with open arms and we quickly got the feeling that we had opportunities in the UAE market,” says Martin Vrist Christensen, Head of Business Devel-opment at SponsorPeople.
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“I don’t think that we could have done it without the help and corpora-tion with the Consulate. Often you don’t realise how much work it takes to do all of the things that they have done, and it has been amazing to have the Consulate to help us in this regard. The Consulate is one of the primary reasons to why we are doing business in Dubai today.”
UAE | MENA NEWS UAE | MENA NEWS
Head of Mission at the Consulate General in Dubai Morten Siem Lynge found SponsorPeople intere-sting from the very beginning:
“The Gulf region - and especially UAE and Qa-tar – are trying to reach the stars when it comes to playing an international role in sports events and sports sponsorship. Just look at football clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Manchester City. All of these are sponsored by UAE and Qatar based organisations, and more are to come.”
“The region is becoming a sport Mecca and holds in my opinion huge potential for a first mover like SponsorPeople who has deep insight in bridging the gaps between sports events, property rights and sponsors, while also for years has been developing detailed sponsorship strategies for top European companies,” says Head of Mission at the Consulate General Morten Siem Lynge.
Market of opportunitiesThe dynamic and vibrant market in Dubai offers great opportunities for the Danish sports agency:
“We experience that the companies are very forth-coming and accommodating to what we offer. Our services on e.g. measuring return on sponsorship investments and evaluation tools when deciding which sponsorships to choose are welcomed as it does not exists in this part of the world and because our professional and analytical approach to doing sports sponsorships appeals to many companies,” says Martin Vrist, Sponsorship Manager at Spon-sorPeople.
After several visits and meetings in Dubai, Spon-sorPeople predicts a very bright future:
“The future looks very positive, and we feel that our presence is legitimate and this motivates us to keep on going. We have already been in con-tact with many companies so focus is to establish a good corporation and relation with them, and
Valuable help from the ConsulateThe Consulate General in Dubai has assisted Spon-sorPeople on their way to UAE market in different ways:
“We have been assisted in all matters form orga-nising a seminar, establishing B2B meetings to registering our company. There has been a dedi-cated trade advisor on the project from the very beginning, who has guided us throughout the pro-cess, which has made us feel safe and secure,” says Martin Vrist, Sponsorship Manager.
“I don’t think that we could have done it without the help and corporation with the Consulate. Often you don’t realise how much work it takes to do all of the things that they have done, and it has been amazing to have the Consulate to help us in this regard. The Consulate is one of the primary reasons to why we are doing business in Dubai today,” says Martin Vrist, Sponsorship Manager.
Today SponsorPeople is one of the largest corpo-ration partners of the Consulate General in Dubai, which pleases SponsorPeople’s daily Trade Advisor Cian O’Brien.
“We have worked closely with SponsorPeople from day one. After a seminar that we jointly arranged with the top of local businesses, we quickly discove-red that there was an completely unexplored niche within sponsorship consulting in the United Arab Emirates and the region as such,” says Trade Advi-sor Cian O’Brien
“I see a great future for SponsorPeople in the Mid-dle East the next couple of years, and hope that we at the Consulate General can continue to be part of this success.”
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ABOUT SPONSORPEOPLE
SponsorPeople works with sponsorships within sports, culture, entertainment and CSR as a part-
nership and a unity between sponsor and event. The main approach is that sponsorship decision making is equivalent to a stock portfolio, which must be managed not through feelings towards
certain fields, but through rational measurement of tangible and intangible assets to be an effective
marketing tool for both sponsor and event. The ambition is to develop reliable and credible spon-
sorships that the all benefit from. Through the use of unique tools and analytical models, which the
company have developed itself, it is possible to stra-tegize, measure and analyse the benefit and effecti-
veness of sponsorships.
SponsorPeople is currently Denmark’s largest independent sponsorship agency, covering among
others Scandinavia, United Kingdom and Germany. Further, SponsorPeople have recently opened its
Middle East division in close collaboration with the Royal Danish Consulate General, Dubai.
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Photos: Colourbox
The government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have allocated USD57.9bn to education and training this year, which is the largest public investment in 2015. The Ministry of Education have proclaimed an ambitious plan to bring the Kingdom’s education, training and learning system to a world class level. The hope is that the Danish vocational school Mercantec from Viborg will be a part of the impressive KSA educational plan.
By: Iben Bjørgulf Antonsen
Saudi Arabia is implementing a transformational program-me in its technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system. Public investments in education and tra-ining have increased by 3% since 2014, and accounts for 25% of the total budget. An estimated USD640mn has been allocated specifically to build new vocational and technical colleges, complete additions to existing projects, and operate Colleges of Excellence. The demand for expertise in vocatio-nal training is evident and cannot be met by local supply. For this reason, a leading Saudi Arabian company reached out to the Danish embassy in Riyadh back in 2014 for help.
Mercantec to Saudi ArabiaSafiye Kücükkaraca is a Trade Advisor at the Danish Embassy in Riyadh. She was contacted by a Saudi Arabian company, who showed interest for the Danish educational system. “The Danish educational system, and especially the vocati-onal training, is well-reputed and known for its high level. When the demand for Danish vocational education was put forward I started looking for a potential partner in Denmark and found Mercantec. Mercanted are extremely good at what they do and showed interest in the project,” says Safiye Kücükkaraca.
Mercantec is a self-governing educational institution located in Viborg, Denmark. It educates skilled and trained workfor-ce such as carpenters, auto mechanics and data technicians. Like all vocational education in Denmark, the education is founded on theoretical teaching in a classroom and practical training as an apprentice in a company.
EMBASSY PROMOTES DANISH VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN KSA
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”The Danish Embassy in Riyadh has done an amazing job facilita-ting all the right contacts to the re-levant authorities and industries. Only for this reason can the project be realised.”
Photos: Colourbox
“We are in the beginning of the project, so it is very hard to say anything concrete yet – but the purpose is to help the Saudi Arabian government to educated skilled and trained labour force, which they need so badly,” says John Hansen, Head of Education and International Director at Mercantec.
Hopes for the futureIf the project with Mercantec is to succeed in KSA it must be in constant dialogue with the industries:
“We work in close collaboration with the Danish companies, who are present in Saudi Arabia. It is vital that we know what skill sets they are in need of, so we can educate the right pe-ople. Additionally, the close cooperation insures that we have the right companies and industries to allocated the students to when the practical part of the education takes place,” said John Hansen
Even though the project is in its very first steps, and nothing is set in stone, John Hansen has a clear hope and ambition for the future:
“It is amazing how the government in KSA is expanding its educational system. I sincerely hope, that we can become a part of this impressive investment wave, they have put forward. Our hope is, that we will be able to prove, that the Danish educational system for vocational training is one of the best in the world, and thus be able to establish more schools in KSA”, said John
Not possible without the Danish EmbassyAccording to John from Mercantec, this project would not have been possible without the Danish Embassy in Riyadh.
“Besides the vocational school, there are two major institu-tions, which must be taken into account; the industry and the government bodies. Safiye Kücükkaraca from the Danish Embassy in Riyadh has done an amazing job facilitating all the right contacts to the relevant authorities and industries. Only for this reason can the project be realised. She should be honoured all credit for the realisation of this project. It could not have been done without her good work,” says John Hansen.
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”The Danish Embassy in Riyadh has done an amazing job facilita-ting all the right contacts to the re-levant authorities and industries. Only for this reason can the project be realised.”
TC EVENTS & DELEGATIONS
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MENA REGION | MENA NEWS
ADIPEC9th - 12th of Novemberr - Adu Dhabi, UAE
Abu dhabi oil and gas exhibition and iternational petroleum conference
http://www.adipec.com/
October
November
Danish Healthcare Group Delegation19th-20th of October - Dubai, UAE
Visits to public and pricate hospitals and healthcare clinics, distributors and healthcare authorities
Contact Senior Commercial Advisor Edith Christmas
Gulfood Manifacturing 27th-29th of October - Dubai, UAE
Exhibition and conference about the manifacturing part of food production
www.gulfoodmanufacturing.com
Middle East Natural & Organic Products EXPO2nd-4th of November - Dubai, UAE
Exhibition for organic, natural and eco-friendly food products in the MENA market
www.naturalproductme.com
Big523rd - 26th of November - Dubai, UAE
Largest construction event in the Middle East, showcasing innovative products from across the globe
www.big5.ae
WE WORK FOR YOU
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Qatar, Iraq)
Astrid Svitzer Ching Nielsen Henrik Nigro Axel KlafstadHead of Commercial Section Senior Commercial Advisor Commercial AdvisorSustainability/Energy/Construction Phone: (+971) 56 644 0266 Phone: (+971) 565012686 Phone: (+971) 4 348 0877 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected] Edith Christmas Cian Kristian Wittrup O#Brien Senior Commercial Advisor Commercial AdvisorHealthcare/Agriculture Phone: (+971) 56 124 4015Phone: (+971) 4 348 0877 E-mail: [email protected]
SAUDI ARABIA (Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman)Safiye Kücükkaraca Hiba Mousa Abu-ReyalehHead of Commercial Section Commercial AdvisorPhone: (+961) 197 0804 Phone: (+966) 11 488 0101 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
IRANParastoo SharifiCommercial AdvisorPhone: (+98) 212 815 5000 E-mail: [email protected]
EGYPTHanzada Adel FaridHead of Trade CouncilPhone: (+20) 2 2739 6535E-mail: [email protected]
MOROCCO (Tunisia)Reingard BretéchéCommercial AdvisorPhone: (+212) 537 66 5023E-mail: [email protected]
LEBANON (Jordan, Syria)Ahmad Mahmoud El LoubaniCommercial AdvisorPhone: (+966) 11 488 0101E-mail: [email protected]
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MENA REGION | MENA NEWS
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