AP Pavilion inaugurated at Dubai Expo 2020; will showcase 12 themes

The Andhra Pradesh Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 was officially inaugurated by the state minister for industries, commerce, and Information Technology Mekapati Goutham Reddy on Friday, in the presence of UAE minister of state for foreign trade Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE ambassador to India Dr. Ahmed Albanna, and India ambassador to UAE Sunjay Sudhir.

The pavilion will showcase 12 themes, including Advantage Andhra Pradesh, chemicals and petrochemicals, agri and food processing, renewable energy and electric mobility, IT and electronics, tourism and culture, economic growth, environment and social governance, industrial parks, and health hubs.

During the inauguration, minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy highlighted the investment potential in the state. "AP has enormous potential for investment in electric mobility, battery manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, emerging technologies in IT, technical textiles, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and food processing among others. We are also showcasing our investible projects across sectors at the pavilion, which can be used as a guide by all potential investors in Andhra Pradesh."

In order to provide an impetus to train manpower for the next decade of industrial advancements, the state government is planning to establish 30 skill development colleges across the state along with a Skills University. The skill colleges envision to train almost 2,000 students per year and they will collaborate with the best technical schools across the Middle East, Europe, and the USA. The skill colleges will identify the gaps in the existing skills ecosystem both locally as well as in international markets, and work to upgrade the skills of local youth to international standards through significant industry involvement. "Firms within the state will be able to hire a large number of skilled manpower with skills relevant to produce products with next-gen technology," the minister added.

Further, speaking about the sea food exports, Minister said that the Government is developing 9 new fishing harbors with an investment of USD 430 Mn in all coastal districts and these harbors will be equipped with seafood processing centers to create livelihood opportunities for local fishermen. Given the dominant position of Andhra Pradesh in seafood exports, we foresee the state becoming a global hub for processed sea food exports.