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FRANKFURT /Â WAM
The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) highlighted UAE’s advantages as an international publishing hub at the Global Publishing Summit, which took place recently in Frankfurt, Germany.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the SBA, who was leading the delegation, held a series of meetings to promote the UAE as a major publishing hub.
“The Arab World comprises around 370 million people and demographically is characterised by being a youthful and digitally connected population. The UAE’s publishing market is estimated to be US$233 million and expected to triple in size by 2030, this anticipated growth signals huge opportunities for international publishers,” said Al Ameri.
“The UAE is the EU’s largest trade partner and offers considerable advantages for EU publishers as a regional operational base to access developing markets. Geographically the UAE is at the nexus of Europe, Africa, and Asia with world-class infrastructure to facilitate logistics. We offer one of the most secure and business-friendly regulatory environments, are a cost-efficient alternative to other locations and are home to a highly skilled and well educated workforce,” he added.
Focusing on Sharjah in particular, Al Ameri explained how the emirate had emerged as a leading city in realising the UAE’s vision of becoming a global publishing hub. He reiterated how Sharjah scored in the top 10 rankings for ‘Global Cities of the Future Small and Mid-sized Cities’ in the categories of economic potential, human capital, lifestyle, connectivity, business friendliness and cost effectiveness.
“Ever since its inception, Sharjah has strived to promote the importance of books, with HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, spearheading this drive over the past four decades. Sharjah is home to the third largest book fair in the world, Sharjah International Book Fair, SIBF, which has a dedicated children’s literary event, Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, and hosts numerous campaigns to encourage reading,” said Al Ameri.
The SBA is currently participating in the Frankfurt Book Fair, which runs from October 19-23, to highlight the forthcoming SIBF that will take place from November 2-12 at Expo Centre Sharjah.