President Cyril Ramaphosa will headline the South Africa Day at the World Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, his office has announced.
“President Ramaphosa will address the South African Dubai 2020 Expo National Day Celebration at the Al Wasl Plaza in Dubai,” acting presidential spokesperson Tyrone Seale said on Sunday.
Ramaphosa is also expected to address an investment dinner to bolster South Africa’s five-year domestic and international investment drive which now aims to raise $80-billion towards its target, Seale said.
South Africa is among 192 countries that have established national pavilions at this global showcase of human ingenuity and innovation, national cultures and solutions to challenges confronting humanity.
The president was invited to the world exposition by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, Seale said.
Expo 2020 is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asian region, and it opened in October 2021 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the UAE Emirates, according to the organisers.
The aim of the expo, originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is to provide trade and investment opportunities and shine a spotlight on world-class technology, creative arts, tourism and sports, among other things.
Small to medium enterprises and women-led organisations as well as established businesses which have an international footprint are showcasing their areas of specialties at the World Expo, Seale said.