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Minister of State Jan O’Sullivan T.D. to lead trade missions to the Gulf and South Africa

Minister of State Jan O’Sullivan will lead a trade mission of Irish companies to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar starting in October. The Minister will lead a delegation of Enterprise Ireland clients which will include companies from the Engineering, Construction, Financial Services, ICT and Education sectors. Public and private sector procurement will be a focus of the mission with networking events in Jeddah, Riyadh and Doha.

Speaking today, Minister O’Sullivan noted “there are great opportunities for Irish exporters throughout the Gulf region. Our largest trading partner in that part of the world is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but companies are also winning business in other countries like Qatar. Our engineering companies in particular have been very successful. Education and financial services are also of growing importance.”

The Minister will also lead a trade mission to South Africa in November. That trade mission will focus on opportunities in the Telecoms, Internet, Media & Entertainment sectors. Minister O’Sullivan said that “there is a growing interest among Irish companies in the South African market, which is increasingly seen as a hub for expansion into the rest of the sub-Saharan African markets. This interest is particularly strong among IT companies developing applications for mobile telecommunications and financial services.”

Note for Editors:

Irish exports to Saudi Arabia were worth €499m in 2010. In 2009, services exports were worth €162 million. Education and construction-related services are the growth areas with the greatest potential for Irish exporters and service providers.

Irish merchandise exports to Qatar were valued at €32.2million in 2010. In 2009, Ireland exported €64million worth of services. Irish firm Mercury Engineering assisted Qatar in its winning bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

Irish merchandise exports to South Africa were valued at over €284 million in 2010, an increase of 32% over 2009. Services exports in 2009 were valued at €547 million. South African GDP is forecast to grow by 3.7% in 2011, boosted by higher consumer spending.