At the first France-Fujairah Forum on Thursday 29 September 2011, Mansour Hajjar, spoke on behalf of the French Business Council. Mansour is Managing Director of Allied Enterprises based in Dubai.
Mansour Hajjar commenced by expressing gratitude to people:
+ “His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, who made us the greatest honor of his presence today.”
+“His Excellency Mohamed Saif Afkham, General Manager of Fujairah Municipality, for taking on the brilliant initiative of today.
+”The emirate of Fujairah for today’s invitation and the terrific occasion it offers us to discover deeper and rightfully this neighboring emirate where an immense potential is nesting, waiting to be further tapped.”
French Business Council
Mansour Hajjar spoke about The French Business Council, describing it as “the Franco-Emirati business authority overlooking the territories of Dubai and the Northern Emirates.”
Growing Numbers of French
Mansour said:
“Boosted by an increasing number of French expatriates to the UAE and especially to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, coupled with an ever expanding economic dynamism of French enterprises and entrepreneurs in this part of the world, the FBC, in these last couple of years, has been delighted to witness a strong growth in the number of memberships which, I am happy to say, lead us today to a headcount of over 500 members representing more than 350 companies across various sectors and categories.”
Willingness to Partner With Fujairah
“Our presence through small, medium and large company members of the FBC shows OUR will to further develop, strong, tighter and lasting ties with the Emirate of Fujairah. And this day is the perfect illustration of this desire, being, as mentioned earlier, the first official gathering in between our communities. It is a gathering with the firm ambition to promote the emirate of Fujairah’s credentials with the unwavering support of the French business community.”
Fujairah Potential
“For most Dubai’s residents, Fujairah remains too often associated to a convenient weekend getaway. Indeed the name of the Emirate of Fujairah is not as often seen in the media buzz as much as Dubai and more recently Abu Dhabi capital city of the UAE.”
“Fujairah is an emirate which is yet to benefit from a higher awareness especially in regard to its business potential. This is missing out on the vast opportunities that the emirate of Fujairah offers. It is falling from the bandwagon of the tremendous development the emirate of Fujairah has embarked on.”
Lung of the UAE
“Fujairah is fast becoming the ‘lung of the UAE’ thanks to its flourishing free-trade zone, its booming construction sector, its oil and gas related developments and its top-notched port infrastructures making it an increasingly strategic location on the Gulf of Oman as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.”
Tremendous Opportunities
“In light of these few elements, you will surely fully grasp the tremendous opportunity for all of our companies to be present in Fujairah and to better understand this ambitious emirate, its vision, its development’s strategy and the projects that will support its transformation.”
French Already in Fujairah
“Some of our members have quickly understood the potential of Fujairah and have been actively working side by side with the emirate’s officials and business representatives to guaranty the success of both side ventures.”
For Example
Lafarge Emirates Cement, a joint venture present in Fujairah since 2005 of Lafarge Building Materials in partnership with Dubai Group, member of Dubai Holding, and the Government of Fujairah, opened here in 2010 a state-of the-art cement facility with an annual production capacity of 3.2 million tons of cement, equipped with the latest technology and meeting international environmental standards.”
“Veolia Water is another example of these French pioneers in Fujairah. The world leader in water and wastewater services currently runs the operations and maintenance part of the Reverse 0smosis desalination plant of the F2 Independent Water and Power Project in Qidfa, Fujairah.”
“Another project, highlighting the technology & innovation mindset of Fujairah emirate is the one carried out by Vectuel Middle East. Specialized in virtual reality, Vectuel has developed a 3D modeling of the land of the emirate of Fujairah featuring all the upcoming development projects, a tool to support the strategic economic and urban development of the emirate of Fujairah. With the adaptation of the 3D technologies, Fujairah has become the 1st government in the UAE & the Gulf region, to have its whole territory in 3D, a definite competitive edge for the emirate.”
France’s Firm Ambition
“I would like to reiterate our firm ambition of bringing today our both communities together in the path of enriching expertise and knowledge sharing.”
“May this day mark the beginning of a fruitful and long standing partnership. Thank you.”
Related
Fujairah Seeks an Ambitious Future in Tourism Says Patrick Antaki, FIF, 3 October 2011
Fujairah Welcomes the French Highlighting Emirate’s Strategic Location, FIF, 2 October 2011.
Crown Prince Seeking to Attract More French Companies to Fujairah, FIF, 30 September 2011.
Fujairah Forum Welcomes the French, FIF, 27 September 2011.
French Day in Fujairah is Magnifique!, FIF, 12 September 2011.
Geoff Pound
More Fujairah news, resources, photos and videos are posted on the Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page.
Image: Mansour Hajjar is Managing Director of Allied Enterprises based in Dubai. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the French Business Council in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
