The Minister of Trade and Industry, Amr Nassar, said that Egypt will host the Pacprocess Middle East Africa 2019 Processing and Packaging event for the first time in cooperation with Messe Düsseldorf exhibition halls. The convention will be held in December 2019, in conjunction with the Food Africa Exhibition to shed light on food and beverages supplies, cosmetics, consumer goods, packaging, and recycling materials. The minister said the exhibition will tap the potential of the Middle East and Africa through the Egyptian market, seeing as it is a gateway for the African market. The announcement came during the Food Africa Exhibition in a speech delivered on the minister's behalf by Samy Younes, chairperson of the Egypt Expo and Convention Authority (EECA). He added that the interest in local and international exhibitions reflects the ministry's readiness to develop Egyptian exports to foreign markets and to improve the quality of local and imported products traded in the Egyptian market. Younes also pointed out that Egypt's hosting of this important international exhibition comes in view of the ambitious plan currently adopted by the ministry to attract many international conferences and exhibitions in Egypt during the next phase, especially since Egypt has all the potential to qualify it as a regional and international centre. Nassar said the strengthening of the Egyptian-African relations and the restoration of the Egyptian presence as one of the pivotal countries in the African continent are the top priorities of the Egyptian government at the present stage. He stressed the ministry's keenness to support all activities and initiatives aimed to boost economic and trade relations. The minister also praised the great success achieved by the fourth session of Food Africa, in which 320 international and local companies participated to represent 32 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China, France, South Africa, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, India and Pakistan. He added that the exhibition represents a huge gathering of food industries, agricultural crops, production inputs, food processing technology, and packaging in the African continent. Nassar pointed towards the need to pay attention to the African market as a huge consumer market capable of absorbing large proportions of Egyptian food exports, pointing out that the current stage is witnessing great momentum and intensive efforts by the government to strengthen the logistics system and facilitate the movement of intra-trade with various countries of the continent. For his part, Executive Director of the Messe Düsseldorf Bernd Jablonowski, said that the Middle East and Africa, and the Egyptian market in particular, enjoys the dynamism and great attractiveness to major international companies, pointing to the importance of the Egyptian market as a gateway towards the markets of the African continent, through the nymerous expanded agreements. Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, Chairperson of Messe Düsseldorf, said that Pacprocess Middle East Africa 2019 Processing and Packaging offers its visitors an innovation park and save food themed pavilions. He said a high-level advisory council would be set up to oversee the exhibition, including representatives from international companies working in the fields of food, pharmaceuticals, confectionery and baked goods, as well as a number of Egyptian government organisations and unions.
