SOPEC | Somali Producers Exhibition & Conference | 17th - 19th March

January 10 2014, Nairobi – Somalis working to rebuild their country’s productive sectors will for the first time showcase Somalia’s potential in a bid to attract foreign investment and spur an economic recovery.

Once one of Africa’s powerhouses, leading in fruit and livestock exports, Somalia has suffered over two decades of war disease and hunger consequently destroying its economy and resilience of its people. However, with relative stability returning, it is thought timely to embark on recovery efforts by rekindling traditional Somalia-Middle Eastern trade links.

Convened by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and organized by Hanvard Africa, the Somali Producers Conference & Exhibition 2014 (SOPEC) will be the first of its kind and industry-led event aimed at linking Somali businesses in farming, fisheries and livestock to international markets. This event will be held at Dubai World Trade Center Monday, Feb. 17 through Wednesday, Feb. 19.

The SOPEC 2014 also will bring together a cross section of producers, experts, policymakers, and potential investors to give participants an unmatched two-day perspective on the industry as it is now and future possibilities.

In Somalia today, there are no ready-made answers or instant solutions. However, what can easily be done is to link possible demand to possible supply. To let producers and potential buyers look, listen, learn and analyze, before making plans for their businesses. When it comes to providing valuable, credible perspective, SOPEC 2014 is a ideal venue.

FAO and other organizations will provide high-level internal and external expertise in each industry through technical speakers who have in-depth knowledge and market analysis of the industries on the ground. SOPEC 2014 aims to be the best business-changing opportunity for those who will participate.

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Xusein said:

The odd thing, even though livestock export is the biggest contributor to the economy, it's almost all independent traders, no real companies (that I know of?). I wonder how that is possible? Is it harder to make companies in that industry?

Click to expand...

Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presided over the first-of-its-kind event held at Dubai’s World Trade Center.
Somalia’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Adan Mohamed Nur, hailed the event as unique and pioneering and pledged his government’s support.

“The Somali government is ready to do everything to promote our producers in order to link them to markets like in the UAE and other countries and I would like to thank FAO and the EU for this effort,” said Adan. Several ministers from the Somali government also attended the event.

The European Union Ambassador to Somalia, Michele Cervone d’Urso said that the event, which was attended by crowds of business people, government representatives and producers, highlighted changing times in Somalia.

“Let a strong message come out of this conference that change in Somalia is coming and will transcend political and security challenges. So let’s make this conference a turning point in helping Somalia re-establish itself as Africa’s foremost economic and business engine,” said Ambassador Michele.

FAO Somalia, under its commercialization concept of agro-economic development and value addition, designed the programme aimed at rekindling Somalia’s trade links with the Middle East. Somalia exports 4.7 million heads of livestock to Gulf States in a trade boom that has grown since 2009 when Saudi Arabia lifted a 9-year disease related ban.

In a key success story for Somali agriculture earlier this month, farmers supported by FAO and EU supplied food assistance to the World Food Program for the first time. In the fisheries sector, following the decline of pirate attacks thanks to international naval forces operations, fishermen and markets are ready to start tapping into their under-utilized fishing resources, with the help of FAO, to avoid unsustainable practices and over-exploitation.

Luca Alinovi, FAO’s head of office in Somalia said that the exhibition brings to light a crucial debate about the role of the Somali economy in the peace process.
“This element has been missing for quite some time in the economic foundation of the country and Somalia’s policy and development debate. The country’s entrepreneurial capacity is and will remain a critical inroad in the peace process and the country’s future,” said Alinovi.

The event that closed on Tuesday, recommended a continuation to such efforts by the private sector, Somali, UAE and other GCC governments to enhance and grow the three productive sectors and removal of trade impeding barriers to facilitate free movement of goods and people.

At SOPEC, participants had an unmatched two-day perspective on the industry as it is now and its future possibilities. This platform is offering participants an exhibition of Somali products from all sectors and an opportunity to meet and discuss industry specific issues, and network with a broad group of participants in a world-class event. The event is also bringing to the spotlight a number of constraints to be solved in order for the businesses to be more success and investments less risky.

Somali producers of agriculture, fishery and livestock were once Africa’s best and most competitive economic drivers leading in the trade and substantive export of millions of livestock, hundreds of thousands of tons of banana, seafood and sesame export. However, the late 80s and early 90s civil strife and subsequent collapse of the central government weakened the export of livestock while the banana and seafood trade and export collapsed entirely.

Click to expand...

Xusein said:

The odd thing, even though livestock export is the biggest contributor to the economy, it's almost all independent traders, no real companies (that I know of?). I wonder how that is possible? Is it harder to make companies in that industry?

Click to expand...