The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) will organize a number of trade missions to a variety of Arab and foreign countries during the next 3 months, starting from mid-September until mid-December, as part of its foreign visit program of 2018.

The chamber also intends to participate in a variety of prominent economic events around the world, in cooperation and in coordination with a number of official departments inside and outside the country, with the aim of promoting Sharjah as a prominent economic centre regionally and globally.

The visits also aim to open the doors to new foreign markets for Sharjah’s local business community, and to promote the investment opportunities available in Sharjah, as well as to strengthen cooperation and trade with other foreign countries.

Building bridges

HE Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the SCCI, stated that the chamber’s initiative to send trade missions and to participate in a number of global economic activities comes as part of the framework of its annual foreign visit program, which is organized by the Sharjah Exports Development Center (SEDC), and the International Cooperation Department at the SCCI. He remarked that the program represents part of the chamber’s efforts to achieve its goals, which includes building bridges of communication between Sharjah and other friendly countries by strengthening economic relations.

Al Owais added that the visits and trade missions have proven their effectiveness in raising the rate of trade exchange, establishing new investment partnerships between Sharjah and other friendly countries, and contributing in promoting national products, in addition to opening doors for the local business community to expand into various promising markets around the world.

HE Mohamed Ahmed Amin, Acting Director-General of the SCCI, stated that the missions and the visits that the chamber will organize or participate in during the next four months are a continuation of some of the visits which took place during the previous years. He added that the visits aim to build on what has been previously achieved, and to enhance trade relations, as well as increase mutual cooperation between the Emirati business community and their peers in other countries.

He remarked that the visit program will include visits and participations that will be organzied for the first time, due to requests made by representatives of various economic sectors, or as a response to an official invitation, or to conduct studies overseen by economic experts at the Sharjah Exports Development Center (SEDC), and the International Cooperation Department at the SCCI.

The foreign visit program

The list of trade missions and events that the SCCI will organize or participate in during the next few months includes the 2^nd UAE – Saudi Economic Forum, the 2^nd edition of the Emirati – Portuguese Forum, an official trade mission to the Tangier – Tetouan – Al Hoceima region in Morocco, the UAE Week in Saudi Arabia, and the 14^th edition of the UAE-Algeria Joint Committee. The chamber will also participate in the World Investment Forum in Geneva and the SIAL Paris Exhibition, in addition to organizing trade missions to both Uganda and Kenya.

The UAE-Algeria Joint Committee

The Sharjah Chamber will send a delegation to participate in the 14^th edition of the UAE-Algeria Joint Committee, which will hold its activities during September 16-17. The chamber, which will be represented by its International Cooperation Department, will discuss putting forth a plan or program that enhances trade exchange between Sharjah and Algeria, in addition to discussing the possibility of establishing a program to exchange delegations between Sharjah and Algeria.

The SCCI, which will be represented by the Sharjah Exports Development Center, will organize a trade mission to Moscow during September 17-19, in cooperation with the UAE Chambers. The mission, which will include a delegation comprised of more than 20 companies from the food sector, in addition to a number of economic institutions in Sharjah, will hold discussions on the prospects of mutual cooperation and investment.

The UAE – Saudi Economic Forum

The SCCI will participate in the UAE – Saudi Economic Forum, which will be held at the headquarters of the Council of Saudi Chambers on September 26, in the presence of HE Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the SCCI; and HE Mohamed Ahmed Amin, Acting Director-General of the SCCI, and with the participation of a number of SMEs in Sharjah.

The forum will be held in cooperation with the UAE Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Council of Saudi Chambers, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the UAE Chambers. The forum will review the current economy of both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as offer a presentation on the top investment projects in both countries. The forum will also include business to business (B2B) meetings, and the 1st UAE-Saudi Joint Business Council meeting, which will be held on the side-lines of the forum.

The Emirati – Portuguese Forum

The Chamber will organize a trade mission to Portugal during October 7-10, in order to participate in the second edition of the “The Emirati – Portuguese Forum,” in cooperation with the Arab Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Portuguese Investment and Promotion Agency (AICEP). The forum, which will include field visits to economic, commercial and industrial institutions and to tourist locations in Lisbon, was organized as a continuation to the 1^st Emirati – Portuguese Forum, which was held at the chamber’s headquarters in April 2016.

Tangier – Tetouan – Al Hoceima

The SCCI will organize the official visit of an economic delegation from Sharjah to the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region in Morocco during October 10-13, as part of the chamber’s endeavours to develop its relations with Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Tangiers-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, and to accept the invitation of Omar Moro, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Tangiers-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, to the SCCI.

The official visit will be headed by H.E Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the SCCI, and will include the participation of senior members and personalities from government institutions and departments in Sharjah, as well as a number of businesspeople and investors. The visit will aim to hold discussions on topics of mutual interest and to review the available opportunities for cooperation and investment between the two sides.

During the official visit, a series of meetings will be held with officials from the industry, investment, trade, agriculture and tourism sectors in the Tangier-Tetouan- Al Hoceima area, as well as with a number of officials and heads of the chambers of commerce in Morocco. Additionally, meetings will be held between businesspeople from both the UAE and Morocco. The visit will also include the organization of field visits to the Tangier Free Zone and to a number of economic institutions and factories, in addition to organizing a visit to various tourism spots in the area.

World Investment Forum

The SCCI, under the umbrella of the UAE Ministry of Economy, will participate in the 10th edition of the 2018 World Investment Forum, which will be organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The forum, which will be organized under the overall theme “Investing in Sustainable Development,” will take place during October 22-26 in Geneva.

SIAL Paris Exhibition

The SCCI will participate in the SIAL Paris 2018 Exhibition, the world’s largest food innovation exhibition, during October 21-25 in Paris. The exhibition, which is held every 2 years, will witness the participation of more than 6,000 exhibitors from all around the world. The chamber will participate with a delegation comprised of a number of food manufacturers in Sharjah, in cooperation with Dubai Exports. The chamber’s delegation will participate as part of the UAE pavilion that will include 18 companies from all around the UAE.

The UAE Week in Saudi Arabia

Sharjah Chamber will participate in the activities of “The UAE Week in Saudi Arabia,” through a delegation representing the emirate of Sharjah. The mega event will be hosted in Riyadh during November 7-10, under the motto “Development, Economic and Investment Cooperation between the UAE and the KSA.”

“The UAE Week in Saudi Arabia” will be held concurrently with the UAE’s celebrations marking the 47th National Day and on the occasion of the Year of Zayed, with support from the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and under the patronage of the UAE chambers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Riyadh, KSA. The event forms the biggest economic, media and cultural platform composed of a constellation of senior businesspeople, ministers, ambassadors and diplomats.

The SCCI will aim to review its varied activities, the various investment opportunities available in the emirate, and the areas of cooperation between businesspeople in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The week’s activities will include an investment conference and an economic exhibition in areas of tourism, real estate, roads, ports, education, health, electricity stations, telecommunications and the like, along with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Uganda and Kenya

The Sharjah Exports Development Center (SEDC), which is affiliated to the SCCI, will organize a trade mission to both Uganda and Kenya during December 10-14, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Saudi Export Development Authority. The trade mission aims to enhance economic relations, increase the volume of trade, and form new promising investment partnerships between Sharjah and the two countries.

The visit comes as a continuation to the chamber’s previous visits and missions during the past few years, which were organized to support the business communities in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia to increase the export of their products, to discover new African markets for them to expand their businesses in, and to enact new investment partnerships. The mission will include tens of Emirati and Saudi businesspeople who will join efforts to achieve economic cooperation between the two friendly countries.