We want a slice of global trade deals, small businesses say

A section of private sector players are up in arms on the grounds that you have not freely allowed them to exhibit at the ongoing Dubai Expo. Why is this the case?  
International Expositions (Expos) are significantly different from Trade Fairs. The primary difference is that expositions or expo focus on country promotion whereas the trade fairs concentrate mainly on promoting individual businesses. Pavilions in trade fairs are therefore designed to allow companies to showcase their products/brands and retailing in some cases. That said, business or the private sector can take advantage of the large number of visitors to promote their products and brands through exhibitions, conference and forums, plus B2B networking and interaction events.
 
If that is the case then why are there unhappy faces calling you out for not availing them opportunity to showcase their products?  
There is no way we can deny an opportunity for our people to showcase their products to the world. Our mandate is to promote what we produce for export. But the ongoing 2020 Expo in Dubai has established policies to guide exhibitions and retailing throughout the six month period. The policies are also guided by Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures. 
 
For example, a country Pavilion is dedicated to country’s exhibitions, meaning no exhibition or retailing by individual companies shall take place inside the pavilion. Note that the pavilion operators shall take all necessary measures to ensure Covid-19 guidelines are adhered to, especially by the visitors. Further retailing or commercial activities shall only take place in designated retailing areas in this case at the Global Village and the World Market Initiative where individual companies will apply to retail at a cost. 
Why is the participation at Expo 2020 Dubai important anyway?

The benefits the economy will accrue from the exposition are far greater than you can imagine.  We are better off as participants rather than spectators. However, there are four major reasons why the government is participating in the Expo 2020 Dubai. One, is to promote trade (exports), especially between Uganda and the Middle East – with focus on United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Here, the target products include coffee, tea, gold, cocoa, fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.

Then, we are also looking to promote investments with an intention of attracting Foreign Direct Investment to our country. Over 70 projects are being profiled for promotion during the Expo and that is no mean feat, considering the return on investment it could generate if all goes according to the plan as we intend to see it through. 
The other thing is to promote tourism – “Destination Uganda” and finally enhance bilateral relations between Uganda and participating countries especially the host, United Arab Emirates.
The issue of the Uganda Pavilion at the Expo generated some debate in the early days of the Expo—especially the first week. How do you respond to the criticism it elicited?

Let me give some background. Participating countries have been categorised into two, including Self-built pavilions and Supported pavilions also referred to as Thematic District Participants (TDPs). TDPs are the countries whose Pavilions were constructed with support from Expo 2020 Dubai/UAE. The support included construction of pavilion shell structure and a capped assistance support package for designing and setting up the country exhibition.
Design of the Pavilion started by submission for a theme statement in 2017, development and approval of exhibition designs, development of content and layouts, and then setup of the exhibition. This work was coordinated by Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) and the Embassy of Uganda in Abu Dhabi, working closely with the Expo 2020 Management and curation Team. 

Importantly, the theme and concept were developed through a consultative process and periodically reviewed during the Expo Coordination Committee meetings. This Committee was made of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government as well as private sector representatives. In compliance with the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the concept was also reviewed and optimised for digital content vis-a-vie physical content and exhibits. However, we have taken note of criticism.  
What role can private players play in building the country’s brands and increasing market share of their products at the Dubai Expo?

We believe that the most beneficial activities for companies that are interested in building markets and brands (vis-a-vie quick selling) are through the B2B activities and engagements held outside the pavilion. This is the reason we developed the six-month enhanced country programme.
We also encourage our private sector to align their plans for the Expo to this programme. For example, we are participating in the Uganda – UAE Convention in the week of December 5th to 11th. Uganda UAE convention 2021 is being organised by Uganda Embassy in UAE, Uganda Diaspora and the Uganda Expo coordination (under UEPB). We can then assist them in finding exhibition spaces.  
Should private sector expect to sell some of their products at the Dubai expo 2020?

Of course all companies that are interested in selling their products at the expo can do so through under the ‘World Souq’ programme where the private sector form different companies and sell products to all the participating countries among other targets. 
Here, companies handover their products to the operators who after selling, will hand back the funds to the product owners (less any payable duties and levies). To get onto this programme, companies must fill out the commercial proposal which will be submitted to Expo and designated operators for guidance.

Also, the Expo established the ‘Global Village’ which is parallel to a bazaar. This is where retailers (especially the commercial handicrafts companies) can retail their products for extended period. Available information indicates that a stall is AED 73,000 equivalent to (about Shs73 million) for the six months. UEPB is in contact with the Global Village management team to ascertain the space available in the African Pavilion that Ugandan private companies can book and pay for to sell their products. Companies and individuals are free to travel and visit the Expo as and when they wish.