Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry is proud to announce the establishment of the Portuguese Business Council in Dubai, under the umbrella of the Chamber, which will promote economic relations between the business communities of Dubai and Portugal. This is the Chamber’s 48th council.

The council was officially inaugurated on the 17th of May 2016 with their First General Assembly, which took place at the Dubai Chamber headquarters with opening remarks by H.E. Atiq Juma Nasib, Senior Vice-President of Commercial Services at Dubai Chamber and H.E. Jaime Leitão, the Ambassador of Portugal in the UAE.

The 25 founding members of the Portuguese Business Council came together to consolidate their position in Dubai and the UAE and, through the council, show that goods and services of Portuguese origin are of high quality, with technological advancement and excellence that will compete with the top brands in the market.

In his welcome address, H.E. Nasib applauded the council’s creation, saying, “It is time to think beyond Europe, to extend your business to the rest of the world and there is no better place to expand than from Dubai, given the logistics and the international links, specifically to Africa, where Portugal has historic ties.”

H.E. Leitão praised the council’s formation, saying that his 30 years of diplomatic experience has taught him that there is strength in associations and that Portuguese companies are sure to benefit from being part of the council, through which they can promote Portugal.

The Portuguese Business Council stated as well that the non-oil revenue of commercial transactions between the UAE and Portugal for goods and services in 2015 was valued at $500 million and that they expect, with this new chapter of bilateral relations, that the amount will at least double to $1 billion by 2017.