Experts emphasised Dubai's position as a global logistics centre as the ideal place for companies interested in strengthening the UAE-Africa food commerce industry during a webinar.

Omar Khan, director of International Offices at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the possibility of developing trade between the UAE and the African continent at the 'Tap into Dubai's F&B industry' webinar, hosted by the Dubai Chamber in collaboration with The Corporate Group and ZimTrade.

'Physically, psychologically, and financially, we are all healing from the Covid-19 pandemic. Our attitude in the UAE and Dubai, on the other hand, is always focused on how we must move forward. We can't sit around waiting for things to happen to us in this new world. We have to do things on our own, and we've always felt that everything should be done in collaboration,' he said.

Khan also disclosed that, in terms of packaged food, Dubai's food commerce climbed by 6% to 7.9 billion USD between 2019 and 2020, while fresh food increased by 4%. 'Online sales have also increased by 255 percent, which is fantastic news for people introducing products to the Dubai Market because they are no longer constrained by the actual store's real estate. That means there are more vendors and opportunities, and there is less of a monopoly or oligopoly in terms of a few huge names.'

'Chainstores are also getting more diverse,' he added,'so new products have a larger range of homes in the physical and e-commerce sector.' 'From fresh meat to fresh produce, everything is now available online.' And this opens up a lot of opportunities for cross-border e-commerce.'

Khan also emphasised Dubai's status as a "massive" global logistics hub. 'You can take everything you bring into Dubai with you around the world.' We are now collaborating with India, Brazil, the United States, Canada, Australia, and a number of African nations, and we want to bring our Zimbabwe partners and businesses closer to us. Because the UAE is a net importer of food, it is critical for anyone exporting to do so. This is why it's critical to comprehend the industry, see price points, know who your competitors are, and find enablers.'

Allan Majuru, CEO of ZimTrade, stated in his presentation to the delegates that Zimbabwean food exports are focused on health and wellbeing. 'We are a non-GMO country as a whole, and that has given us a niche,' he explained. 'We also have the ability to go organic in terms of export production.'

Apart from the unique climate that allows for unique supply windows, Zimbabwe has five ecological regions that allow it to produce a wide range of products. Exports to the UAE totaled $4.5 million in 2019, according to Majuru. He anticipates this number to rise as additional nations, such as the United Arab Emirates, turn to Zimbabwe's food exports.

'We take pride in our climate because it provides us with a competitive advantage in terms of the quality of the fruit we export,' he said. 'I can assure you right now that if you travel to Europe and see our products on the shelf and try some of them, you will know they are from Zimbabwe because they are pure and natural.'