MEADFA launches Advocacy Working Group to protect the Duty Free industry

November 26 2019, 7:16 AM

MEADFA – the Middle East and Africa Duty Free Association, has announced it will increase its advocacy and engagement capabilities with the creation of its Advocacy Working Group (AWG). The AWG will be developing a cross category advocacy approach, representing the entire duty free and travel retail industry, delivering a combined voice. The AWG aims to promote awareness of the industry with key regulators and policy makers to ensure the future of this unique industry.

In both Africa and the Middle East, MEADFA anticipates the duty free industry will face greater regulatory challenges across a broad range of categories in 2020. These challenges are driven in some cases by coordinated global policies, and in others by the emergence of new trends in the regulation for specific products.

MEADFA has a role to play in engaging with industry and policy makers in the Middle East and African region to represent the duty-free industry concerns as part of wider global campaigns. MEADFA is therefore aiming to develop a proactive approach to advocacy with its integrated advocacy working group of cross category industry representatives, to guide the associations’ strategy.

In addition, MEADFA recently appointed Rita Chidiac as General Secretary to drive the Advocacy working group agenda operationally and strategically. Rita joined Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Lebanon in 2011, taking on responsibility for its corporate affairs and communications activities in the Middle East and Levant region. In 2016 Rita became an integral part of JTI’s Worldwide Duty Free team based in Geneva. In 2017, she relocated to Dubai where she manages JTI’s corporate affairs and communications activities for duty free covering Africa, East Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East region. In April 2019, Rita was elected to the Board of the Middle East and Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA).
The AWG’s strategy will reinforce MEADFA position as the leading voice of travel retail in Africa and Middle East. As a first step, the AWG will be launching a workshop on Monday 25th of November calling for a cross category representation to make MEADFA a more powerful voice and to support the protection of the Duty Free industry.

For further info please contact:
Micheline El Ammar Enkiri
Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) FZE
P.O. Box 54394, Dubai -United Arab Emirates
Tel. +971 4 299 66 63, Fax. +971 4 299 66 30 – Email: info@meadfa.com

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