The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) will organise the inaugural Malaysian Services Exhibition (MSE) at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Matrade is the external trade promotion arm of Malaysia's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and MSE is an event dedicated to showcasing the capabilities and skill sets of Malaysia's vast services sector.

The event will be held from January 13 to 15, 2008.

An agreement to this effect was signed at Expo Centre Sharjah between Malaysia's Trade Commissioner in UAE Noraslan Hadi and Expo Centre Sharjah's director general Saif Al Midfa and advisor to chairman and Board of Directors Fasahat Ali Khan.

Matrade is the focal point for trade related information for Malaysian exporters and foreign importers. Expo Centre Sharjah, on the other hand, is the exhibitions wing of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and features the Middle East's most integrated and functional exhibition venue.

The MSE 2008, which will host over 200 Malaysian companies and showcase and brand a diverse range of Malaysian services in the region, is aimed at increasing collaborative possibilities between Malaysian service providers and businessmen in the region, especially in areas such as construction, engineering, healthcare, ICT, oil and gas, education, management services, energy and power generation, financial, logistics and transportation sectors.

'The staging of the MSE 2008 is in light of the vast opportunities in the services sector available in West Asia, Central Asia and North Africa,' Hadi.

Hadi added that the MSE 2008 would occupy two halls of Expo Centre Sharjah measuring 8,000 sq. mt.

Within the region, the UAE is Malaysia's biggest trading partner. The country's total trade with the UAE was valued at $3.23 billion in 2006, an increase of 20.6 per cent from $2.59 billion in 2005.

Exports expanded by 18.8 per cent to $2.26 billion, from $1.84 billion, while imports grew by 25.06 per cent to $967.7 million from $749.5 million in 2005.

To ensure that visitors to MSE 2008 gain first-hand, updated and unbiased information on the capability and skill sets of their respective industry sectors in Malaysia, Matrade will be collaborating with various Malaysian industry organisations and associations including Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), Professional Services Development Corporation (PSDC), Institute of Architects Malaysia (PAM) and Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), and Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM). - TradeArabia News Service