Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has brought together senior government officials, business leaders and industry executives at the Multaqa Al Tujjar forum, a gathering aimed at tightening coordination with the private sector as the emirate navigates global economic disruption and supply-chain pressure. Held at Abu Dhabi Energy Centre, the event centred on market stability, business continuity and a shared economic agenda, while also offering companies a direct channel to decision-makers. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Abu Dhabi’s economic model was built to withstand change through “institutional alignment, regulatory clarity, and a deliberate partnership between government and the private sector”. He said the discussions were designed to give policymakers a clearer reading of market conditions and allow faster responses to operational needs, particularly at a time when trade flows and logistics networks face heavier strain across the region.
The forum followed a series of high-level meetings held during the previous weeks between public bodies and business representatives to address market stability and supply-chain resilience. Those earlier meetings produced commitments to accelerate regulatory procedures, improve coordination across institutions and develop practical responses to input-cost pressures and logistics bottlenecks. At the forum, those strands were presented as part of a broader effort to turn consultation into execution.
A central feature of the event was the unveiling of the ADEED platform, described as an advanced digital system that gives companies real-time supply-chain data. Officials presented it as a tool that can help businesses anticipate disruptions, improve planning and make faster operating decisions. The live demonstration underlined Abu Dhabi’s push to embed digital infrastructure more deeply into trade facilitation, a move that also supports its ambition to strengthen its standing as a logistics and business hub.
The programme began with two closed roundtable sessions, one focused on tourism and the other on industry. That sector-specific structure reflected where Abu Dhabi sees both pressure points and growth opportunities. Tourism, logistics, manufacturing and related services have become more important to the emirate’s diversification drive, and officials used the forum to test whether policy measures are keeping pace with conditions on the ground.
Participation spanned a broad institutional field, including the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, Abu Dhabi Ports Group, Abu Dhabi Customs, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, the Integrated Transport Centre known as Abu Dhabi Mobility, 7X, the Export Credit Insurance Company of the Emirates, and private-sector players such as Dell and Presight AI. That mix signalled an attempt to move beyond ceremonial engagement and instead draw the operational arms of government into direct dialogue with companies that manage trade, transport, technology and finance.
The timing is significant. Fresh business survey data showed UAE non-oil private-sector growth slowed in March 2026 to its weakest pace in nearly four years, with regional conflict weighing on demand, supply chains and business confidence. Tourism, retail and logistics were among the sectors facing pressure, while supplier delivery times lengthened. Against that backdrop, Abu Dhabi’s emphasis on continuity of trade and rapid institutional response carries greater policy weight than a routine chamber event might suggest.
At the same time, Abu Dhabi’s longer-term economic indicators remain solid. Official statistics released in February showed the emirate’s GDP grew by 5 per cent year on year in the first nine months of 2025, while the non-oil economy expanded by 6.8 per cent. In the third quarter of 2025, non-oil activities accounted for 54 per cent of total GDP. Earlier official data for the second quarter of 2025 also showed non-oil GDP growth of 6.6 per cent, reinforcing the extent to which diversification sectors are driving output.
That backdrop helps explain why Abu Dhabi Chamber has tied the forum to a broader institutional agenda. Its roadmap for 2025 to 2027 was launched to support a more flexible and diversified business ecosystem, with market intelligence, entrepreneurship support and private-sector development at its core. The chamber’s message at Multaqa Al Tujjar was that growth now depends not only on headline investment and infrastructure, but also on faster policy feedback loops and stronger coordination between regulators and businesses.
The emirate has been building that framework through other measures as well. Abu Dhabi announced a centralised registration authority during Abu Dhabi Business Week to simplify business set-up and compliance, part of a strategy to make operating conditions easier as competition for capital and companies intensifies across the Gulf. Growth at ADGM, where active licences topped 12,000 at the end of 2025 and workforce numbers climbed 51 per cent, points to the scale of momentum Abu Dhabi is trying to protect.
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