Water and the need for conservation will be the main focus of the Guinea pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
It will be the first time at a World Expo that Guinea will have its own pavilion and it has invested an estimated $2 million to bring the message to Dubai.
At Expo 2020 Dubai, our country will for the very first time, have its own pavilion. For many people, this will be their first occasion to explore Guinea.
Gabriel Curtis,
Guinea's Minister of Investments
The country has been part of several World Expos including in Milan, Shanghai and Hanover, but never had its own space.
The Dubai Expo organisers committed to host a World Fair where each country would have its own pavilion.
“It is a very important Expo because Guinea has its own pavilion. This is the perfect place to share Guinean stories,” Gabriel Curtis, Guinea's Minister of Investments and Public Partnership, told The National.
“At Expo 2020 Dubai, our country will for the very first time have its own pavilion to showcase its sustainable economic development.
“For many people, Expo 2020 Dubai will be their first occasion to explore Guinea."
Mr Curtis, who is also commissioner general of the pavilion, said the aim was to highlight urban water renewal strategies.
“The pavilion is interactive and at its core is a call to action,” he said.
Entitled "Tap into the Source of West Africa", the theme will be centred on showing visitors how they play a vital role in preserving water and can reduce consumption.
Billions of people around the world suffer from poor access to water, which affects sanitation and hygiene, increasing transmission of diseases, the World Health Organisation said.
About 2.2 billion people do not have safely managed drinking water supplies and 3 billion lack the basic ability to wash their hands, a 2019 report said.
Studies have shown the poorest communities often spend the highest percentage of their income on water.
Mr Curtis said Expo 2020 Dubai was crucial to revive trade and the global economy during the first major international event amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Expo 2020 Dubai is even more crucial today than ever as it will be the perfect way to bring together thinkers to tackle global challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects,” he said.
“In this spirit, the Guinea pavilion features a co-creation lab where people from all corners of the world will come together to think about global challenges and propose solutions.”
Companies and organisations from Guinea would be involved in three theme weeks during Expo, relating to travel, agriculture and water.
The country plans to hold conferences and investment forums as hybrid events to enable participation by those who cannot make it to Dubai.
The pavilion is near the UAE structure and Al Wasl Plaza, the centrepiece of the site.
“We hope that this, allied with the engaging narrative of the pavilion, will attract at least 100,000 visitors,” Mr Curtis said.
The structure is 85 per cent complete and the multimedia content is being finished. Encouraging tourism, investment and promoting local products are among the objectives.
Guinea has significant natural resources, including large reserves of iron ore, gold and diamonds that attract foreign investment.
Energy and the agricultural sector are just some of the areas where the country seeks to deepen ties with the UAE.
Final preparations with just days to go before Expo 2020 - in pictures
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
Results
2.30pm: Park Avenue – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Rb Seqondtonone, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
3.05pm: Al Furjan – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bosphorus, Dane O’Neill, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm: Mina – Rated Condition (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Royal Mews, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Aliyah – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,900m; Winner: Ursa Minor, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
4.50pm: Riviera Beach – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 2,200m; Winner: Woodditton, Saif Al Balushi, Ahmad bin Harmash
5.25pm: Riviera – Handicap (TB) Dh2,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Al Madhar, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Creek Views – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Al Salt, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy
Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
