• Home
• /
• Business

Saskatchewan Trade and Investment Office to create economic opportunities in UAE

Dubai - The Canadian Province of Saskatchewan has opened a new office in Dubai to strengthen ties with the UAE and generate economic opportunities in the region

The Canadian Province of Saskatchewan has opened a new Trade and Investment Office in Dubai to further strengthen its already productive relationship with the UAE and create new economic opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

Dubai is the first international office to be opened by the Canadian Province in 2022 and was chosen for its strategic geographical location and status as leading trade and re-export hub for the wider region.

“This office will provide a major boost to the already strong ties between the UAE and Saskatchewan and ensure our relationship continues to grow,” the Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison, said: “We are so excited to be here in Dubai to showcase the incredible trade and investment opportunities in Saskatchewan.”

In 2020, Saskatchewan’s total exports to the UAE reached an all-time high of CAD$627.6 million, the highest among all Canadian provinces and a 52 per cent increase from 2019.

Saskatchewan is the UAE’s largest supplier of canola seed and lentils. As the province’s sixth largest agri-food export market, the UAE is critically important to Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan’s Trade and Investment Office in Dubai will grow this trade relationship while also making the province’s expertise and leadership in agriculture biosciences and agri-food research more available to companies and governments in the UAE and Mena region to support their national food security goals.

Saskatchewan’s UAE office will facilitate cooperation and coordination beyond the agri-food industry in areas like energy, innovation, and sustainability.

“Although Saskatchewan’s relationship with the UAE has mostly been in agriculture, we share many common goals and interests, particularly in the energy sector. We see huge potential for cooperation in a number of areas to help the UAE meet its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 particularly through carbon capture, utilization and storage; hydrogen production; the development of small modular nuclear reactors; and the supply of uranium,” added Harrison.

The office will connect investors in the region with the programs, incentives and opportunities that make Saskatchewan one of the best places in the world to do business. Located in Western Canada, Saskatchewan is home to 189,000 square kilometres of some of the world’s most productive farmland, an area double the size of the UAE.

Saskatchewan produces some of the lowest carbon intensity energy and mining products anywhere in the world. Saskatchewan is the second-largest oil producer and third-largest gas producer in Canada and has been ranked as the most attractive Canadian jurisdiction for oil and gas investment. Saskatchewan is also the world’s largest potash producer, a leading uranium producer and has been rated as the third-most attractive area for mining in the world.

Saskatchewan is launching trade and investment offices in the UK, Vietnam and Mexico this year to complement offices that are already open in China, Japan, Singapore and India.

business@khaleejtimes.com