Former president of Comoros Island, Ahmed Abdullah Mohamed Sambi visited Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) on Wednesday and met with Director General Rashid Al Leem to strengthen bilateral business association and investment promotion between the two countries. During his meeting Ahmed Abdullah Mohamed Sambi highlighted the challenges of business environment, investment potential and challenges faced by African business community. Director General of HFZ discussed business opportunities, which HFZ offers for the African countries where Africa is a future business destination. “Africa is a unique market both in terms of demographics & geographically. There is a great scope to boost our trade and investment ties with Africa which can be achieved through enhanced information exchange, and communication and co-operation between both countries,” Alleem said. Giving an insight into HFZA’s achievements and future plans, Rashid Al Leem highlighted its role as a catalyst in the economic growth and industrial development of Sharjah and the UAE. HFZ and African region has unmatchable trade & investment potential, keeping in view HFZ unparalleled location on the crossroads of international trade routes, enhancing SME access to the emerging markets of Africa, Middle East and Asia with over 2 billion consumers. The free zone has been deploying business solutions for international and local investors to access the lucrative market of 1.5 billion populations in the Mena region for the last 15 years. “We are aiming to touch the 6,000-mark this year. We extended our services into several new markets. Our global coverage now encompasses more than 138 countries, and our sights are set on penetrating more new markets to empower investors in their ventures,” Al Leem added.