SHARJAH: The 13th edition of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference Expo will play a key role in enhancing economic activities among OIC Member States and help achieve the intra-trade target of 20 per cent by 2015, according to a senior Sharjah official.

The show is held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah, was speaking ahead of the biennial OIC Expo to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from April 24 to 29, 2011.

The 'Private Sector Meeting for the Promotion of Trade and Joint Venture Investment among Islamic Countries' will be held on the sidelines of the show from April 24-26, 2011. The theme of the conference will be 'SMEs in Developing Economies of OIC Countries and the Role of Private Sector'.

OIC Member States have already achieved an intra-trade rate of 17 per cent and is on course to touch 20 per cent by 2015. This has encouraged the OIC's Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation to think about setting a new goal to raise the level of intra-trade to 30 per cent, reports quoting the president of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Ahmad Mohammed Ali, said recently.

Trade activities in OIC countries constituted about 10 per cent of the entire world trade with the overall value of merchandise trade exchanges among OIC Member States and other countries of the world amounting in 2009 to US$ 2.56 trillion, the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu had said recently.

According to an estimate, oil and oil products accounted for about 29 per cent of exports among OIC Member States, industrial products 27 per cent and agricultural products 17 per cent.

"Through the OIC Expo, we aim to strengthen intra-Islamic economic and trade co-operation and in the process open up better opportunities for businesses in the member countries, facilitate new projects, better employment generation and sharing of technological know-how," said Mr Al Midfa.

"The show will help build effective public-private partnership mechanisms for capacity building, through enhanced networking, entrepreneurial mentorship and information exchange between and among trade policy-makers, promotion agencies, relevant multilateral organizations as well as private sector partners. It will also provide first-hand knowledge of commodities available in the OIC countries," he said.

"The OIC Expo is coming to Sharjah for the second time. The ninth edition of the expo was hosted by Expo Centre Sharjah in 2002. It saw the participation from the 57 Member States, observer states and for the first time Islamic communities in non-OIC states such as Thailand, Singapore and France.""The holding of the show in Sharjah is also in realization of the fact that trade fairs are the catalysts that stimulate the growth of both the private and government sectors," said Mr Al Midfa.

Over 40 major establishments from the UAE, which tops the list of active Member States in intra-trade recording US$ 50 billion and 11.73 per cent of the total volume in 2009, will be participating in the show. They include, National Paints and RAK Investment Authority, among others.

China, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Sudan, Thailand and several other Islamic countries will have a large participation at the show. Exhibitors from these countries will represent leading establishments and showcase their technological and manufacturing capabilities.

The show will feature all kinds of commodities and services, including industrial, consumer, electronics, and agricultural, household, raw materials, processed & semi-processed goods.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference is the second largest inter-governmental body after the United Nations, and has a membership of 57 states spread over four continents.

The organisation's observers include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Thailand, the Russian Federation, and several international bodies.

The OIC Expo is organised by the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry under the theme "Economic partnership and sustainable development".

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2011.