Message from General Manager for Middle East & Africa

In April 2022, in response to rapid changes in our societies, industry and lifestyles, Sumitomo Corporation Middle East & Africa Group has been split off from the region in charge of former General Manager for Europe, Middle East, Africa & CIS, in order to further advance the transformation of existing businesses and take on challenges in new areas of business.

The Middle East is a key region for the world's energy supply and is actively working to mitigate climate change as can be seen in plans that have been announced to achieve carbon neutrality. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region constitutes an economic zone comparable to ASEAN, and its strong demand for infrastructure and growing domestic demand are very attractive. Furthermore, the population of Africa is expected to hit 2.5 billion, or a fourth of the world's population, by 2050. The region is currently in a period of rapid economic growth driven by population growth. In fact, “leapfrogging”* through the use of the latest technologies such as fintech, health-tech, and agri-tech is rapidly spreading to solve issues in African societies.

Sumitomo Corporation Middle East & Africa Group aims to work together with local communities to achieve stable and sustainable growth by taking on the challenge of creating new value in our priority areas of energy transition, healthcare, and agriculture and food while continuing our ongoing collaboration with the Sumitomo Corporation Europe & CIS Group, and other regional Groups.

* Leapfrogging: Rapid advance in economic development by a single step through the use of new technologies. To skip the step-by-step development processes that developed countries have taken many years to complete.