Container capacity at the Jebel Ali Port (Dubai) will increase nearly ten fold to 67 million twenty foot-equivalent-units (TEUs) by 2030 from the current 7-8 million, a statement said.There are over 5,500 companies registered with the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza), including 140 Fortune 500 firms and dozens of internationally renowned brands. Latest figures show a huge 41 per cent jump in exports.A 64-member delegation of business leaders from the West African state of Ghana has toured the Jebel Ali Free Zone as part of their current visit to Dubai.They were given a detailed presentation of Jafza's achievements and future plans, including the synergy that will be created when the Jebel Ali Airport is completed.Ghana, a prime exporter of cocoa, timber and minerals, has a growing trade link with Dubai. Between 2004 and 2005, exports to Ghana rose from Dh18.04 million to Dh30.69 million. Imports registered a 14.5 per cent increase for the same period, from Dh46.2 million to Dh54.03 million.
Dr Mohammad Al Banna, Jafza's vice president for sales, said: "Jebel Ali Free Zone welcomes the deep intense shown by the business leaders from Ghana. It is our policy to share the experience and expertise we have gained from a quarter century of successful growth as a model economic zone.|"We invite our friends from Ghana to strengthen relations between the two sides through business ventures that are mutually beneficial."The business representatives are in Dubai six weeks after a visit by Ghana's vice president, HE Alhaji Aliu Mahama, who had urged his fellow-countrymen to emulate some of the strategies Dubai has adopted to build a thriving economy.