Putting Sicily in focus

The Sicilia region hub will promote the area’s innovations and products in the international market via the Emirates

The Sicilia Region UAE Business Hub was inaugurated at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Dubai. This hub will function as the branch of the Sicilian region to promote the activities of the production districts recognised by the region in the UAE on the occasion of Expo 2020 Dubai. The desk of Sicilian companies was provided by the regional department for productive activities in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE. Mauro Marzocchi, Secretary General of IICUAE, participated in the inauguration of the branch. Also present were the regional representatives of the Productive Activities Department, Sergio Calascibetta and Maria Pia Bottino, Maurizio Caracci, Head of the Education Department, Sandro Pappalardo, Head of the Sicilian Region at Expo 2020 Dubai as well as a delegation of the three Sicilian universities made up of professors special-ised in the internationalisation of companies.

The business hub aims to foster relations between the Emirati and the Sicilian companies, focusing on the 23 production districts awarded by the Sicilian region, as explained by Mimmo Turano, Councilor for Productive Activities. It is a significant initiative then, not only because it took place in the context of Expo 2020 Dubai but also because it allows the Sicilian entrepreneurial realities to be present in one of the most interesting and dynamic markets in the international context.

According to the agreement signed between the regional department for productive activities and the IICUAE, the Sicilian business hub will be active until November 2022 at the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce in Dubai. Here technical assistance, logistics, and an online showcase for companies will be guaranteed on the website of the Italian Chamber of Commerce. The activities will aim to carry out a B2B mission in Dubai in which the companies selected by the production districts will be involved. It is an occasion to develop throughout this year all the activities necessary to guarantee Sicilian companies new commercial opportunities

In this regard, the first event organised by the Sicilian region in the amphitheater of the Italian Pavilion was entitled ‘Learning in Sicily: competence for global competitiveness’, and was dedicated to the role of learning and skills in the internationalisation of companies through digital tools such as factors of competitiveness of the Sicilian territory.