A large group of international companies have showed their interest in participating in the 37th Baghdad International Fair, due to take place in Baghdad from 1st to 10th of November.

“Several countries, including France, Turkey, Iran, Japan, and India agreed tp participate in the fair, as well as local and foreign private sector companies”, a source from the Ministry said.

“The preparations for the exhibition started at the beginning of the year, and we expect the participation of a large number of international companies.”

“Baghdad International Fair was held abroad for two years due to the deteriorating security situation that the endured, but now with improved security and stability, the exhibition is being held again in Baghdad.”

Iraq is seeking to attract investment to the country to contribute to its reconstruction after suffering from neglect throughout the long years of siege and war.

(Sources: AKnews, State Company for Iraqi Fairs)

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A local government spokesperson from Basra has announced that the Chinese company “Tarim” is making the final preparations for a trade fair due to open in the Basra province (550km south of Baghdad).

“The governor of Basra, Shiltagh Abboud, hosted a delegation from Tarim which is preparing to open a trade fair in the province, similar to the one held in Sulaimaniyah province, Kurdistan. The fair is scheduled to be opened on July 27, and the two parties will hold a news conference in the evening so that the media can see the economic development of the province,” Iyad Houssein, manager  Basra province’s Department of Information, said on Wednesday.

“The cost of the project has exceeded $1 million [1.2 billion Iraqi dinars], and preparations for it began more than six months ago. The exhibition will include food products alongside industrial commodities, machinery and equipment, all on sale at very low prices… the exhibition will initially be open for three months, and pending its success, will continue to operate for a longer period that is not yet specified.” Hussein added.

Basra has hosted three other international exhibitions of late, mainly for Turkish companies, but including some European and Iraqi groups. This is the first time that a Chinese company has opened such an exhibition in the region.

(Source: AK News)

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Al Anbar Province announced that it is ready to hold its first investment conference with the participation of numerous international companies, according to Al SumariaTV.

The province said that it formed a committee to prepare the program for the conference. Meanwhile, the Province Council said that the conference is one of the solutions suggested by Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to eradicate unemployment in the Province.

A member of parliament for Anbar Province, Fouad Jitab, said that the conference is a great opportunity for international companies to invest in the area.

(Source: Al SumariaTV)

More than 120 companies and almost 100 Iraqi business and government representatives participated in a catalogue show in Baghdad on Sunday the 20th June. The event was managed and organised by Upper Quartile and co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team, and G4S.

It was another first for Upper Quartile, a follow on from our successful Trade Mission programme. It provided a unique opportunity for local business leaders and facilitators to network. Companies participating in the event displayed catalogues and contact information in a variety of sectors including industry, health, water, agriculture, security, education, and consumer goods.

Leanne Case congratulated the group on a successful event and encouraged local business leaders to continue their efforts at developing new opportunities. The show was another example of how government and business can work together to help improve economic conditions for everyone.  More articles on what we are up to in Iraq can be found at Oil Industry Skills Development and Serviced Office in Basra.

For further information please contact Leanne@upperquartile.co.uk

A number of companies participating in a Basra international fair revealed on Saturday their intention to seek investment opportunities in the province, the ‘economic capital of Iraq’, according to a source cited by AK News.

The 5-day Basra International Fair opened on Friday, with the participation of more than 150 local and foreign companies specialising in construction equipment, machinery, foodstuff and electrical appliances.

Director of Erbil Steel Company, Hevy Othman, said “this is our first participation in an exhibition in Basra, and this is important because Basra is one of the most important provinces in terms of economics, construction and investment.”

Ahmed Bilal, director of the Turkish electrical appliances company BEKO, said his company was seeking to increase its investment in the province through the exhibition.

BEKO is focusing on the central and southern parts of Iraq to develop its work, according to Bilal, who stressed that they were thinking of opening a branch in Najaf and later on in Ramadi as well, after they have covered Basra.

The director of Anjouan Company, Maha Abdullah, stressed the “full readiness” of Basra province to welcome the best companies, and the significance of its ports. Our goal is to provide the Iraqi market with high quality goods, she said.

AAIB View

A spokesperson from A.A.I.B. Insurance Brokers, a company specialising in Iraq said: The fact that a hundred and fifty local and foreign companies were represented at the Basra International Fair is a sign of a keen desire to penetrate the Iraqi market, for both consumer goods and industrial goods.

We are going to see many more trade exhibitions, fairs and conferences in the years ahead as the political landscape clears and the security environment improves further. A.A.I.B. Insurance Brokers has been working in Iraq for the last six years and we have seen many developments that make us very positive about the future of the country.

One-hundred Iraqi and foreign companies will participate on Friday in the Basra International Trade Fair, according to a province’s businessmen union board member on Thursday.

“The companies that will attend the five-day event are coming from Turkey and Germany, alongside Iraqi companies,” Hussein Hashim al-Sa’edi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The fair, which will be held on the al-Maaqal port grounds in central Basra, will showcase products in the fields of construction, equipment, hospital appliances, machines, automobiles, ceramics, stones, alabaster and food & beverage as well as furniture, linen, decorations, packing devices and ready-made garments,” Sa’edi added.

“The fair will be held under the supervision of a group of Iraqi and Turkish firms in association with the Basra Province administration and the ministries of trade and oil, in addition to the Iraqi Ports Company and the businessmen and industrialists union,” he said.

(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)

More than 65 Chinese firms are participating in a fair in Najaf city.

“The fair started yesterday and will last for 15 days,” the Najaf Gov. Razaq Shareef told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Sunday.

He noted that Iraqi people are allowed to buy different Chinese industrial products presented at the fair.

“Security stability in Najaf encouraged Chinese firms to participate in the fair,” Gov. Shareef explained.

There is a real buzz in the air about the forthcoming Baghdad Catalogue Show; taking place in Iraq this unique event will discuss the key challenges and opportunities in the oil & gas skills and infrastructure sectors and will bring together key decision-makers, business leaders, linking them to international companies who are ready to do business in Iraq.

The Show taking place on the 20^th of June will be opened by Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister and has been organised with the support of the US Commercial Service and Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team. 

The event will showcase over 200 catalogues from US and UK companies.  

The day will also include high-level presentations from senior Iraq decision makers and a workshop focussed on setting a strategy to close the skills gap in the oil and gas sector.

The overwhelming interest for the event has re-confirmed that the working environment in Iraq has changed allowing more in country forums that bring together key decision makers from government and business.

“For many international companies Iraq remains a difficult market to access and in the interests of Iraq’s economic development more needs to be done to bring these parties together ….. in Iraq” said Gavin Jones, Partner, Upper Quartile.    “However the level of interest in this event has surprised us, we will have to limit the attendees to 150 and over 230 companies have sent us a corporate catalogue for display at the event – this combined with the Oil Skills Strategy workshop will make for a great day”

Although the Catalogue Show is only a first step for many of the international companies sending brochures, it provides them with a rare opportunity to widely access potential Iraqi partners and start forming relationships.