The Board of Directors of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, SCCI, emphasized its keenness to develop the institutional performance through a forward-looking vision based on innovative mechanisms and an advanced digital infrastructure which helped to enhance the Sharjah Chamber readiness to continue its services for the business community in the current circumstances.

The board also underscored its determination to strengthen the remote working system and to deal professionally with the repercussions of the current circumstances due to the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

This was stated during the SCCI ‘s 11th periodic meeting held online and chaired by His Excellency Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman, SCCI, in the presence of His Excellency Waleed Abdul Rahman Bu Khatir, SCCI’s Second Vice Chairman, and the board members.

Also attending were His Excellency Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi, SCCI’s Director-General, His Excellency Saif Mohammed Al-Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah, Maryam Saif Al Shamsi, Assistant General Director, Support Services Sector of the SCCI, Abdul Aziz Shattaf, SCCI’s Assistant General Director, Members Services Sector and Director of Sharjah Exports Development Center, and Mona Sultan Al-Suwaidi, Director of the Executive Office of the SCCI’s Chairman.

The meeting agenda included the ratification of the decisions taken at the previous meeting and the adoption of the Statute of the Expo Centre Sharjah and the follow-up on the work achieved in Q1 2020.

Commending the relentless efforts of the UAE’s wise leadership, Abdullah Sultan Al Owais highlighted the stimulus package announced by the Executive Council to provide the necessary support for the various commercial and industrial sectors to confront all the challenges and the changes to the business environment through well-informed plans and decisions.

“As a representative and supporter of Sharjah’s business community, the SCCI is committed to its role towards the private sector by finding ways and solutions to meet global challenges and enhance the competitiveness of the business environment. The chamber is also backing the interests of the investors and it continues to enhance their investment and secure a stimulating environment for its growth,”

Al Owais underscored the need to make use of the latest remote communication systems to reach the partners and the customers and to ensure their accessibility to services in a safe and smooth way, concluding his remarks with the call to create innovative solutions to enhance Sharjah’s status, notwithstanding the challenges facing the world economy.

For his part, Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi said the SCCI seeks to provide the best smart services to reinforce Sharjah’s business sector and to create innovative solutions to all the challenges facing their business, highlighting the work progress in the investment projects implemented by the SCCI in order to provide a stimulating business environment, including the infrastructure development project in the 10th industrial zone, which is implemented jointly with a number of government agencies and aims to rehabilitate the entire area.

Al-Awadi also made a presentation on the SCCI’s achievements in Q1 2020.

Thanking the chairman and the board members of the SCCI, Saif Mohammed Al-Midfa hailed the great support and the constant follow-up of the chamber to the work of the Expo Centre Sharjah.

“The adoption of the Statute of the Expo Centre Sharjah would help enhance the center’s competitiveness and role in reinforcing Sharjah’s position on the map of the international exhibitions,” added Al-Midfa, underlining the influential role of conferences and exhibitions sector in the economic life of the countries, as well as its impact on increasing the national income and achieving the sustainable development.

The meeting touched on the new expansions of the Expo Al Dhaid, while Abdul Aziz Shattaf shed light on the project of funding the special export operations for the affiliates of the Sharjah Exports Development Center which the SCCI intends to launch. The project aims to increase the rate of exports, open new markets, expand the export map of the SEDC’s affiliates, and provide the necessary liquidity to exporters, as well as to decrease the risk ratio in export operations through credit insurance.

The board also called for exerting further efforts to support the industrial companies in Sharjah and to develop their exports and open new markets by providing all the necessary support for their businesses.

Among the recommendations made at the meeting were the necessity of strengthening the SCCI’s digital system through providing all the advanced capabilities to ensure the seamlessness of the workflow, in addition to exploring innovative initiatives that help support the private sector and increase incentives to support the business community in the current circumstances.