SSPEX Iraq Is Happening In December

Via Wikimedia Commons.

A new military-security exhibition is scheduled to take place from December 4 until 6 at the Baghdad International Fair. SSPEX Iraq is organized by Business Glory for International Fairs and Conferences and seeks to bring together the various government ministries tasked with Iraq’s reconstruction. Companies that wish to register should get in touch and sponsorship are available in silver, gold, and platinum packages.

The indoor venue for SSPEX Iraq measures 5,000 square meters and there are 50 large spaces available to exhibitors. The Ministry of Industry & Minerals, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Communications are all scheduled to participate. 21st Century Asian Arms Race (21AAR) is a media partner for SSPEX Iraq.

If the venue for SSPEX Iraq looks familiar, it’s the same used by the International Defense Exhibition in Iraq or IQDEX, which is an annual show held in March that caters to the defense ministry’s procurement list. SSPEX Iraq, on the other hand, has a broader focus that includes the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure. Having flushed the Islamic State (IS) from its remaining strongholds, the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is determined to fund post-war projects for the next five years.

After IS invaded Northern Iraq in the summer of 2014 an international coalition helped Baghdad mobilize its forces to drive out the terrorists occupying Mosul and other cities. After two years of brutal fighting, the Iraqi military had reclaimed the territory it had lost and prepared to recapture Mosul. The nine months it took to eliminate Daesh holdouts amid the city’s dust and rubble left a humanitarian catastrophe in its wake.

Prime Minister al-Abadi has done what he could to solicit foreign aid for the monumental reconstruction effort Iraq faces. While the economy has grown on the back of rising oil prices, between $80 to $100 billion in pledges are needed to assist internally displaced Iraqis and rebuild their homes. The aid is also meant to improve the country’s transport infrastructure and boost its nominal GDP growth.

Although not a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Iraq has the fourth largest economy among Arab states in the Middle East. With a diverse geography that spans deserts, wetlands, and mountains, Iraq shares a northern border and extensive trade links with Turkey, whose status as a regional power is growing each year. Iraq’s borders are flanked by Iran in the east and Syria in the west while Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are spread over the south and southwest. Iraq’s access to the Persian Gulf is only possible via a narrow waterway. Its oil reserves are the fifth largest in the world and output is expected to grow by the 2020s.

Companies in sectors like aerospace, automotive, construction, defense, consumer electronics, energy, security, and logistics who want to explore opportunities in Iraq are encouraged to inquire about SSPEX’ exhibitor and sponsorship rates. The organizers of the show can be reached here.