Irish trade delegation concludes tour of Kuwait

Irish Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen, began a five-day tour of Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on 17 November, with his first stopover being Kuwait. It is the first tour by an Irish trade delegation to Kuwait in over 10 years

The minister who is heading one of the largest trade missions to the region is accompanied by representatives from 34 leading Irish companies in partnership with Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Government agency that works with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets.

The trade mission is part of the Irish government’s ‘Global Ireland’ strategy that aims to double Ireland’s impact in the world by 2025 through trade, bilateral and multilateral partnerships, and their wider contribution to the world.  The ‘Global Ireland’ strategy stems from the government’s realization that with UK’s Brexit on the horizon, it is more important than ever for Irish businesses to diversify further into global markets.

Demonstrating the importance of the region to Irish economy, latest export figures for the country show that during the first eight months of the year exports surged by 19 percent to Kuwait, 15 percent to the UAE and a whopping 94 percent to Bahrain.

Minister Breen who will conclude his visit to Kuwait on 18, will move on to the UAE for a two-day stopover on 19 and 20 November before heading to Bahrain where he will end his tour on 21 November. The companies accompanying the minister are from a wide range of sectors, covering Information Communication and Technology (ICT), fintech, aviation, agri-tech, food tech, engineering and life sciences sectors among others.

Speaking ahead of the tour to the Middle-East, Minister Breen said,“I am delighted to be back in the Middle East leading such a diverse range of companies that demonstrate the strength of Irish expertise, goods and services. We value the strong relationships we have in the region and look forward to emphasizing our ‘Irish Advantage’, so that the exports between our countries can continue to grow”.

“The trade mission is the first of many initiatives to explore the opportunities open for Irish companies in Kuwait and to build on our existing trading relationships. We look forward to deepening the level of cooperation between our two countries to mutually benefit our economies,” said Minister Breen on arriving in Kuwait.

During his visit to Kuwait, the minister and representatives of the accompanying trade delegation explored opportunities and held fruitful discussions with representatives of Kuwaiti companies involved in a wide range of sectors, including in the aviation, FinTech and telecoms sectors.

Among those with whom Minister Breen met with during his brief visit to Kuwait were the representatives of Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority, and the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce.