By IANS,
Ahmedabad : Praising Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Uganda and Kenya, beginning Monday, the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Sunday said African countries have huge business potential and the state could benefit a lot from doing business with them.
“The best business prospects for Gujarat lies with under-developed countries. They are in the grip of tremendous recession and Modi’s visit is of great significance to us,” GCCI president Rupesh Shah said.
“In the entire country the west coast (Gujarat) is the nearest to these East African countries. This can be turned into a major advantage for us if we play our cards judiciously,” he told IANS.
The four-day visit follows invitations from Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. A business team, representing the leading corporate houses in the country, is also accompanying the chief minister.
The delegation will explore business partnerships in sectors like cotton, coffee, crude oil, gas and minerals in Uganda. Kenya would offer mutually beneficial partnerships in agriculture, dairy products and petroleum exploration, government officials said here.
Modi will also try to attract investors from these countries to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit-2009.
Earlier, Modi was to visit these two countries Nov 16-25, but it was delayed due to his campaign tours in assembly poll-bound states.