Expo 2020 Dubai postponed to October 2021

Namibia will be participating in the Expo 2020 Dubai, taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 1 October 2021, until 31 March 2022. Deputy director of the Namibia Investment Center, Tunga Mboti, yesterday confirmed that due to Covid-19, the expo has been postponed to 2021 and will not take place this year.

Namibia is one of 192 nations, including 54 African countries that confirmed participation in the expo. The Expo 2020 is the firstever to be hosted in the Middle East under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and will encompass the sub-themes of opportunity, mobility, and sustainability.

Namibia has participated in several global expos, such as the 1998 Lisbon Expo in Portugal under the theme ‘The Oceans, a heritage for the future’, Expo 2000 Hanover in Germany was held under the theme ‘Humankind, Nature, Technology’. Expo 2008 Zaragoza in Spain’s theme was ‘ Water and Sustainable Development’, and lastly, the Expo 2010 Shanghai held in China was hosted under the theme ‘Better City, Better Life’.

According to Michael Mutonga, the personal assistant to commissioner general for the Expo, the 2020 Dubai event is a lifetime celebration. It is set to welcome 192 participating countries and more than 25 million visitors from across the globe.

Mutonga further stated that the Namibian pavilion aims to display its natural treasures to the world such as its suitable climate for renewable energy, unique landscapes, and abundant wildlife, marine diamonds, and minerals, as well as a diverse cultural heritage.

Five sub-sectors to be promoted during the expo are renewable energy, mining, tourism (culture), education ( e- learning and innovation) as well as trade and investment (manufacturing, blue economy, health, logistics, and agriculture).

“The event aims to unlock innovations, attract investment, promote trade opportunities for Namibian products and create sustainable partnerships of mutual benefits across the globe,” said Mboti.