Viable companies to be established under government’s ‘One district, One factory’ initiative will be showcased at the biggest world Expo to be held in Dubai, UAE in 2020, Yofi Grant, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotions Centre (GIPC) has said.

Asked by the B&FT whether the GIPC considers it feasible to showcase some of these companies at the Expo 2020 Dubai to help attarct investors, he said: “Absoultely! The Expo 2020 Dubai will be a great opportunity to showcase what they do. Tourism, agro and agro-processing without a doubt are some of the sectors we need to showcase.

He added that: “We have significant mineral assets which we also need to highlight at the Expo 2020 Dubai.”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised the establishment of “one district, one factory” as a sustainable means to open up the rural economy through massive rural industrialisation and to create the much-needed jobs for the youth.

Based on projections from the Ekumfi Pineapple Project, the district industrialization project has been tipped to provide about 6,000 direct jobs per district.

The project has been hugely welcomed by the business community as key associations, including the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), have banked their hope on the initiative to revive failing industries and bolster the quest towards an export-led economy.

The World Expo is one of the world’s oldest and largest international events, taking place every five years and lasting six months.

It is a festival for all, where everyone can learn, innovate, create progress and have fun by sharing ideas and working together.

Each Expo revolves around its own theme to leave a lasting impact on the path of human progress. Expo 2020 Dubai’s core theme is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

The hosting of the Expo 2020 will generate approximately 277,000 new job opportunities between 2013 and 2020.

Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and the first to be hosted by an Arab nation.

Over 25 million visitors are expected to attend the 6-month long event, with 70 per cent expected to be international visitors, the highest proportion in Expo history.

A visit to the construction site of a new mega project for Expo 2020 Dubai, located in South Dubai District, close to Al Maktoum International Airport, based on the three thematic areas of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, shows that construction is well advanced with just three years to go.

Ahmed Al Khatib, Deputy Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Delivery for Expo 2020 Dubai, told the B&FT that foundations are complete and buildings are beginning to emerge above ground.

“Construction will be completed by October 2019 to allow for various tests ahead of the event . The facility will have about 30,000 car parking spaces, an 11kilometer metro line to join the nearest existing metro line.

Current we pour 6,000 cubic meters of concrete every week and the project employs 8,000 now. This is expected to reach 35,000 by 2018,” he said.

More than 150 countries have committed to take part in Expo 2020 Dubai. They include:

Italy, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Greece, Tunisia, Kazakhstan and Chile.

Others include: Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

Discussions are on-going between the GIPC and organizers of the Expo 2020 Dubai for Ghana to participate in the 6-month long event.