JEDDAH, 17 June — “Better late than never,” said the organizers of the first ever international Islamic trade fair while explaining why it took more than a quarter of a century for the Muslim countries to stage their first trade gathering.
The fair by member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference was held in Jeddah from June 9 to 14. Jointly organized by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), the gathering attracted some 190 firms from 36 Asian, Arab and African states.
It was intended to project the economic dimension of Islamic solidarity, identify the products and services offered by member states and shed light on investment opportunities available in each country and facilitate business exchanges.
The products on display covered agriculture, food, textiles, industrial machinery, household appliances, carpets, furniture, traditional products and wood industries.
Addressing a joint press conference yesterday IDB President Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ali and JCCI Secretary-General Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi said they both considered the gathering a success given that this was the first time the pan-Islamic body was able to organize an international trade fair.
The fact that the majority of OIC member states attended the fair despite the huge logistical and procedural obstacles was in itself an achievement, they said.
“It was a good chance for all, especially small and medium companies of the least developed countries. They were able to come into direct contact with other producers and service providers and discuss the prospects of business deals. The main problem has always been a persistent lack of information and data. We hope to continue such efforts in future and organize similar gatherings on a regular basis,” said Dr. Ali.
Al-Qasabi spoke of various problems and obstacles associated with staging of the fair. He said some countries had financial or administrative problems that either delayed or prevented their participation while others complained about logistics involving transportation of goods, visa arrangements and custom clearance. “We will follow up these issues and address the shortcomings in future.”
Both Al-Qasabi and Ali thanked the Saudi authorities for their efforts to facilitate the arrival of the delegates and the products.
Some countries like the Central Asian Republic of Kirgyzstan, which wanted to exhibit heavy machinery including power-generating units, could not bring in their equipment for logistical considerations and had to settle for distributing literature. The Israeli occupation authorities prevented Palestinian businessmen from attending. One delegate from the Comoro Islands complained that businesswomen from his country could not make it to the Kingdom because of visa regulations since they needed a mahram, or a close male relative, to accompany them.
The gathering was opened with a call from Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, on Muslim states to forge economic unity in order to face the challenges of globalization.
Muslim countries, most of which belong to the list of developing or the least developed nations of the world, stand to face many obstacles attempting to open new markets for their products or trying to access the markets of industrial nations.
The volume of their collective trade does not exceed $39 billion or 10 percent of overall OIC trade with the rest of the world. Dr. Ali said the bank had embarked on a plan to raise trade dealings by three percent annually to 13 percent by the year 2003. It has allocated $2 billion to finance trade operations among its member states during 2001.
Dr. Ali said the bank plans to substantially increase its capital to help it play a more active role in the economic and social development of member states.
