Serbia has a negative balance of merchandise exchange with Africa. Merchandise exchange with countries from the African continent is very low and unjustifiably neglected, especially if we take into consideration the great potential of this market. Countries from the African continent show the tendency of a rapid development and we have to take into account the fact that this market is inclined towards our market and that we are in traditional good relations with African countries.
Products export will be business and development imperative of the Institute Mihailo Pupin in the following period. The economic crisis is in full swing all around the world nowadays. Furthermore, the economic crisis has struck the Serbian market especially the segment on which the Institute Mihailo Pupin is present. Therefore, and above all because of the fact that the Institute has internationally concrete offer, more and more, we turn to the world R&D and commercial market.
The Institute Mihailo Pupin is already present with its offer in many countries. These are, including ex-Yugoslavian countries as well, Russia, Irak, Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Congo, Algeria, Cuba, Brasil, Italy, Germany etc. At the same time, we are one of the most engaged R&D institutions in Serbia when international scientific projects within the cooperation with EU are taken into consideration. However, constantly searching for new export opportunities, and on the intiative of HE Abdelkader Mesdua, the Ambassador of the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, the Institute Mihailo Pupin invited the honorable guests, the ambassadors of the African countries in Serbia, to present them the results of its work and show them what the Institute can offer in this market as well as to indicate the possibilities of other companies in Serbia which cooperate with the Institute. It was our honour to host such important guests from: Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The general manager of the Institute Mihailo Pupin presented the programme of the Institute.
The Institute has already had the experience on the African market. So, the system for management of the Water Supply System for the city of Algiers in Algeria was installed 20 years ago. Also, at the moment, we install the first pay toll system on the bridge Mobutu-Sese-Seko in the port of Matadi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Furthermore, the intensive talks are led about the possibilities of installing the pay toll systems and intelligent traffic systems of the Institute Mihailo Pupin on the highways in Algeria.
