Exports from Ireland to the UAE grew 12 per cent in 2020, a figure the country’s minister for trade promotion says will grow further thanks to Expo.
Companies backed by Enterprise Ireland – the Irish Government’s trade and innovation agency – recorded €152 million (Dh646m) in exports to the UAE in 2020.
Despite having one of the most stringent lockdowns in the EU, Ireland’s economy was the only country in the bloc to grow in 2020. This was mainly driven by record exports, which were up 6.25 per cent.
Explaining the double-digit rise, Robert Troy, Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, said Ireland had recorded a “significant increase” in the exports of food, drink and pharmaceuticals, as companies innovated and adapted to ensure they could continue trading and, in some cases, increase or win new business.
I have no doubt that that’s going to play a significant contribution in helping to increase the number of visitors coming to Ireland
Robert Troy,
Ireland’s minister for trade promotion
“We have seen that over the last 12 months in particular, from an Irish perspective, that pharmaceutical products has increased substantially because of Covid-19,” Mr Troy told The National.
“That’s partly the reason why we’ve seen that increase, but there’s also been a renewed emphasis and focus on this region by state agencies like Enterprise Ireland.”
Mr Troy was in the UAE on a trade mission visit to the region that also included a trip to Qatar.
During the next six month, several Irish ministers are expected to travel to Dubai for Expo as the country looks to grow business opportunities for Irish companies.
“It’s no coincidence or accident that we have prioritised this destination as a base for a trade mission,” Mr Troy said.
“It’s because we see that this has huge opportunities in terms of potential growth for Irish businesses.”
Across the IMEA region (India, Middle East, and Africa), trade is valued at Dh4.89 billion. Based on current trends, Ireland predicts to more than double that figure to Dh10.4bn.
Mr Troy attended the recent Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (Wetex) at Dubai Exhibition Centre, where eight Irish companies were presenting their technology and expertise.
Several Irish companies announced new agreements during the event, including sustainable energy solutions provider NuLumenTek, which has been awarded a contract to supply the architectural lighting for the refurbished external public areas of Dubai Metro stations.
Irish retailer Supervalu also signed a new agreement with Middle East online grocery marketplace Noon to double its product range on the platform to 250 in total, which includes a fresh foods range.
Mr Troy also attended the official launch of the Ireland pavilion at Expo, which he said will be used to build and grow relationships that he believes will lead to further business growth for Irish companies.
The pavilion will also help revive the country’s tourism and hospitality industry, which has been devastated by the closure of its international border.
The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation said last month that the pandemic had cost the industry more than €13 billion and caused the loss of 100,000 jobs.
Tourism Ireland, an all-island agency, recently launched a marketing campaign called Green Button that encourages visitors to switch from dreaming about holidays in Ireland to actively booking them.
The campaign will include flight deals and accommodation offers.
“The Green Button campaign gives a great opportunity for people who are going to visit here to get an opportunity to look, from an interactive perspective, at the tourism product that we have to offer.
“I have no doubt that that’s going to play a significant contribution in helping to increase the number of visitors coming to Ireland and that’s particularly important on the back of a severe reduction in visitors over the last 18 months.”
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo 2020 Dubai, and Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in charge of Talent Attraction and Retention, also attended the launch of the Ireland pavilion and its programme, which includes a Middle East-inspired version of Riverdance.
Ireland pavilion at Expo 2020 - in pictures
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Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
