Construction of Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions in full swing

With Expo 2020 just one year away, work on the pavilions is progressing smoothly with most of the primary construction already completed and the remaining will be completed by the end of the year.

The BNC Network, which tracks projects in the UAE and GCC region, said it is tracking 69 Expo 2020 pavilions that are currently in different stages of construction.

Around 56 per cent of the pavilions being tracked by BNC Network are under construction while the rest 44 per cent are in the pipeline.

Avin Gidwani, CEO of BNC Network, noted that as per the construction schedule, Expo 2020 is well on track and most of the primary construction has already been completed.

"The interior fit-out and landscaping phase of the buildings and pavilions on site will commence on a mass scale shortly," he said, adding that the infrastructure work is pacing ahead of work on the pavilions to serve the Expo site for further developments."

Some of the other major pavilions where the work is underway are those of India, Pakistan, Germany, the US, the UK, Oman, Netherlands, France, China, New Zealand and others.

Some of the pavilions will be retained as part of legacy under District 2020.

Ghulam Dastgir, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UAE, recently said that Pakistan's Expo 2020 pavilion will cost around $15 million (Dh55 million).

"There are some funding issues related to Expo 2020 pavilion and the government is looking in to it. The government is exploring all the options. But we are optimistic to complete the pavilion on time," he added.

Abdulfattah Sharaf, group general manager and CEO for UAE and head of international, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, said the mega event will provide a window of opportunity to the world. "We will be promoting international connectivity at the world's biggest showcase of global innovation, creativity and collaboration at Expo 2020. A visionary transformation agenda in the UAE has been delivered creating a global financial hub and Expo 2020 will provide a window on the world of opportunity that we see here for our customers around the globe," Sharaf said.