AMMAN, 5 April 2005 — A total of 980 firms from 44 countries, including Saudi Arabia, are offering to take part in Iraq’s reconstruction by demonstrating their products and expertise in a variety of spheres which the war-ravaged country badly needed in the coming years.
The Rebuild Iraq 2005 exhibition was officially opened yesterday by Jordanian Minister of Industry and Trade Ahmad Hindawi, who underlined the importance of “collaboration among public and private sectors of various countries of the world toward rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure particularly in the spheres of education, health, electricity and food security”.
He underscored Jordan’s role as a gate for reconstruction of the neighboring county and said his government had taken “all steps that facilitate the flow of trade to and from Iraq as well as the activity of all firms willing to take part in rebuilding the country”.
Executives of organizing bodies said that the exhibition, which is due to last until Thursday, covered all sectors needed by Iraq including construction, oil, gas, health care, education, information technology and telecommunications.
“The participants look forward to meeting with Iraqi businessmen, contractors, industrialists and officials,” said Albert Oun, Chairman of the International Exhibitions Group, one of the event’s organizers.
A conference will be held on the sidelines of the exhibition that groups Iraqi businessmen, specialists from around the world and firm executives for appraising investment opportunities arising from rebuilding Iraq as well as problems that may face firm companies there.
According to organizers, the event represented the staging point for about 2,500 Iraqi reconstruction projects with an estimated value of $33 billion.
The US government has set aside $18.6 billion for the rehabilitation of Iraq’s sectors of electricity, water, oil, health, transport, agriculture and telecommunications. Global donors have committed a further total of $13 billion to projects in Iraq.