From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Enterprise Ireland
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Robert Troy TD, Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, will today commence a 3-day trade visit to the Middle East region covering the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The trade visit, organised by Enterprise Ireland, aims to boost trade collaboration with the region and to support an accelerated export-led recovery of Irish businesses in international markets.
During the trade visit, Minister Troy will promote Ireland and its world-class companies during a series of high-level business engagements with private and public organisations with a specific focus on the green energy and cleantech sectors. He will also undertake a series of engagements with representatives of the Irish business community in the region, including the Clean Energy Business Council MENA and Dubai Irish Business Network.
Eight Enterprise Ireland supported energy clients are participating in the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and Dubai Solar Show 2021 during the trade visit. The participating companies represent a wide regional spread, with participants based in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Offaly, Meath, Monaghan and Wexford.
WETEX has become one of the largest and most important specialised exhibitions for the energy and environment related sectors in the region and the world. During the event, Minister Troy will meet with the Irish companies hosted by Enterprise Ireland on the Ireland country pavilion that will be promoting some of the best Irish innovation across the cleantech sector.
Coinciding with the trade visit, Minister Troy will also formally open Ireland’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Ireland's theme for the Pavilion is ‘Island of Inspiration – putting creativity at the centre of human experience in the 21st century’, which will include elements that tell part of the story of 5,000 years of Irish creativity and innovation. Participation at Expo will provide an opportunity to promote Ireland to a global audience of up to 25 million visitors over the event’s six-month duration - opening the door to new contacts, new markets, and new collaborations.
Commencing the visit Minister Troy said:
"I am delighted to be leading this ambitious trade visit involving some of the most innovative Irish companies in the cleantech sector. The Middle East region, particularly the UAE and Qatar, provides significant opportunities for Irish green innovators who can help solve sustainability challenges through cutting-edge innovation, digitisation, quality, compliance, and future focused energy reduction methods and conservation technology.
"Over recent years, Ireland has enjoyed a strong and growing business relationship with the Middle East. These business partnerships have strengthened the position of Irish companies operating in Dubai and the wider region, particularly those in the fields of cleantech and sustainability, mobility and transportation, IoT, and digitalisation. Last year alone, exports by EI client companies to the UAE increased by 12%, continuing the trend of year-on-year growth.
"The Middle East region is thriving, with opportunities for Irish companies to deliver their competitive advantage, built on a strong reputation for delivering industry leading expertise and innovation. Trade and collaboration with these international markets will be crucial to Ireland’s recovery as we rebuild after COVID-19."
Irish companies with Enterprise Ireland assistance have to-date been hugely successful in growing their exports to the Middle East region. Exports by Enterprise Ireland supported companies to the IMEA region remain strong, valued at €1.152 billion for 2020. Growth in exports by Irish companies to the UAE, even against the backdrop of a global pandemic increased by an impressive 12% in 2020.
Accompanying Minister Troy on the trade visit, Kevin Sherry, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland said:
"Enterprise Ireland client companies are seeing the growing opportunities of the UAE and wider Arab region. Across cleantech, fintech, and medtech, Irish companies are being supported by our Enterprise Ireland team to grow their commercial opportunities in market. This visit will further explore mutually beneficial business opportunities, areas for collaboration, and generate awareness of Ireland’s world leading innovation offering.
"Irish companies have enjoyed great success in the Middle East, but there is also great untapped potential in the market and Enterprise Ireland continues to identify opportunities for Irish businesses across a range of sectors."
The trade visit, incorporating visits to Dubai (5-6 October) and Doha (7 October), involves a series of high-level business meetings, targeted sector events, meetings with government members and senior officials, and one to one meetings between Irish businesses and a wide range of local businesses, including the announcement of new business partnership agreements.
Minister Troy welcomes a series of announcements during WETEX by several of the Enterprise Ireland supported companies participating at WETEX, including:
Other Irish companies participating at WETEX included:
This trade visit and associated events have been organised in line with Irish and local market COVID-19 regulations and travel requirements.