Niël Terblanché
Namibia has joined the ranks of countries around the globe that will support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
On Friday, President Hage Geingob received a courtesy visit at State House from the Advisor to the Royal Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Kattan.
The discussion between the President and the special advisor centred on enhancing bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest and Namibia’s commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia to host the World Expo in 2030 in Riyadh.
The World Expo 2030 is expected to present a golden opportunity to showcase technological innovations and promote the social and cultural influence of the participating nations; a potential space for Namibia to market itself in areas of agriculture, mining, and tourism among others.
The World Expo is a global event, which happens once every five years. The next event is scheduled to begin on 1 October 2030 and will run for the next six months until 1 April 2031.
Alfredo Hengari, the Presidential Press Secretary, confirmed that Namibia will support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the World Expo.
Hengari said that Namibia’s expression of support reflected the distinguished relations between the two countries.
Kattan in return expressed the Saudi government’s appreciation for the latest vote of confidence as he cited the solid bilateral relations between the Kingdom and Namibia.
Four countries have submitted competing candidatures to organise World Expo 2030: the Republic of Korea (Busan), Italy (Rome), Ukraine (Odesa) and Saudi Arabia (Riyadh).
The project examination phase for World Expo 2030 is currently underway, with each candidate having submitted a detailed candidature dossier to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).
The host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected by BIE Member States, gathered in a General Assembly set to take place in November 2023, on the principle of one country, one vote.
Saudi Arabia submitted its bid to host the World Expo 2030 in a letter sent by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the BIE – the international organizing body for the global event since 1931 – in October last year.
