Living in Expo 2020 Village, Francois Ndzue is one of hundreds of people who have travelled to Dubai for the first time to proudly represent his home country's pavilion.
Tucked in a quiet corner of the Sustainability district, you’ll find the 37-year-old standing tall in the Gabon pavilion.
Born and raised in the former French African colony, Mr Ndzue landed in Dubai on September 23, only three months after landing the job at Expo 2020 Dubai. It is his first time visiting what he calls "the land of the sand".
“I remember when the plane came in to land at Dubai I just saw all these tall buildings and the city lights, it was overwhelming,” he said.
You may say I am biased, but for me, Gabon chocolate is special. It is dark, rich, creamy and soon you will be able to taste it right here in our pavilion
Francois Ndzue,
Gabon pavilion
“Oh my goodness, that feeling I had when I was asked to work at Expo, it was great. I knew it would be such a good opportunity and it is the first time I’ve ever worked outside of Gabon, too.”
Living in Expo Village, which he affectionately called “a mini world in one place”, father-of-two Mr Ndzue is on a mission to present Gabon to the world.
Like any great salesmen, he greets visitors with some interesting facts about his native land. Did you know that 88 per cent of its land is covered by tropical forest? Or that its chocolate production is helping the country's economy to rebound?
“Actually, for many years, Gabon’s cocoa sector was ailing but now it is reviving,” he said.
“Our country is covered by 88 per cent of forest so we have a rich and vibrant supply of cocoa beans.
“You may say I am biased, but for me, Gabon chocolate is special. It is dark, rich, creamy and soon you will be able to taste it right here in our pavilion.”
In charge of logistics at the Gabon pavilion, Mr Ndzue said he is trying to bring a taste of his homeland to Dubai, with visitors soon able to purchase items such as banana chips and chocolate.
Though he has been in Dubai for less than a month, he said Expo has given him a “flavour of different cultures all in one place”.
So far he has visited several pavilions while off duty and is fascinated by the traditional dress of each country.
“I love seeing the different dress codes of different countries,” he said, “like Papua New Guinea, for instance. They have traditional dress, which is colourful. It mimics the core of our cultural dress but in Gabon we have a more modern take on it.“
"I like the similarity between both cultures.
“There’s the UAE, too. I found out more about the kandura, the traditional dress of Emirati men. The agal, which is used to hold the scarf on their head, can also be used to secure their camels, it’s so interesting.”
Hoping to bring his wife and two children, aged 9 and 3, to Expo in December, Mr Ndzue said their home pavilion will carry a sense of pride for his family.
And for those looking to visit, they must check out the array of traditional masks on show.
“Our masks hold a great deal of history and meaning and we use them for different ceremonies like births, weddings and funerals,” he said.
“They are made of many different woods and they can represent anything from celebration to grief.
“Both men and women can wear them but the ceremony and community dictates who wears what."
Inside the pavilion you can find the Punu-Lumbo, a tribal mask native to the Ogooue River basin in Gabon.
Community members create naturalistic, white-faced masks that convey idealised visions of womanhood. And the diamond-shaped pattern on the forehead represents scarification, a marker of cultural identity.
Expo 2020 Dubai day 10 – in pictures
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
