President's Message
The South Africa Business Council (SABCO) in the United Arab
Emirates was established in early 2004 under the guidance of the
then Ambassador, Digkang Moopeloa. Supported by our Patron, Essa Al
Ghurair, an office was opened in Deira and so began the coming
together of South African business people who have made such an
impact on the Dubai environment. The Dubai Chamber of Commerce has
been very supportive of SABCO from the outset and we thank them for
this.
Since then SABCO has organised monthly business
networking events, and more recently a 'business breakfast', where
local, international and South African business people and speakers
have come together to share ideas, foster business ties, offer
advice and of course, socialise. UAE and South African government
officials have also been hosted at these events to encourage trade
between our two countries, which has grown tremendously over the
past few years.
The celebration of Freedom Day has become a major annual event
in the UAE. Through fun social events, SABCO encourages South
Africans living in the UAE to come together and recognise the
miracle that is South Africa and the changes that are taking place
in our 'Rainbow Nation';
Discussions are well underway with key Abu Dhabi based South
Africans to open a branch of SABCO there soon and, in this regard,
we are thankful for the support of our new Ambassador H E Yacoob
Abba Omar. We at SABCO in Dubai have gained a lot of knowledge over
the years and we will work closely with the new Abu Dhabi committee
members to help accelerate the establishment of the new
Council.
We are in the process of building an active website to
communicate with business people and the South African community in
the UAE. We have also recently employed Lucinda Fletcher as our
Events and Communications Manager.
A SABCO rebrand was long overdue and we trust you like our new
modern, indigenous and youthful identity. We feel it epitomizes the
coming together of all South Africans.
Finally I would like to use this opportunity to thank all the
committee members and staff who, over the years, have worked so
hard to raise the profile of SABCO in Dubai and throughout the
UAE.
All the very best,
Nigel Harvey