The head of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) on Thursday expressed the organization's support for Saudi Arabia's bid to host EXPO 2030, emphasizing that the Kingdom possesses great capabilities that enable it to host a historic and successful edition with the highest level of innovation.
During a meeting with Saudi royal court adviser Ahmed Kattan in Zambia, COMESA Acting Secretary-General Dev Haman praised Saudi Arabia's tireless efforts in seeking to strengthen its relations with all African countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He also welcomed the first Saudi-African summit and the fifth Arab-African summit, which will be held in Riyadh.
Adviser Kattan emphasized that the first Saudi-African summit stems from the Kingdom's desire to strengthen partnerships with all African countries.
He also praised African states' support for Saudi Arabia's bid to host the exhibition.
Five countries — Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Italy, Ukraine and Russia — are competing for the right to host the global event.
Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya, Zambia, Djibouti, Morocco and Cameroon were among other countries that previously declared full support for Saudi Arabia's bid to host the event. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation supported Riyadh's bid to host EXPO 2030.
The last exhibition was held in Dubai — from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, and the next one will take place in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, from April to October 2025.