Sharjah has reported AED 1.6 billion in industrial investment across 31 projects during 2025, strengthening its position as one of the UAE’s most active manufacturing centres as the emirate uses Make it in the Emirates 2026 to pitch its logistics base, investor services and low-cost licensing framework to manufacturers.
The figures, announced at the national industrial platform in Abu Dhabi, place Sharjah’s 2025 performance within a broader five-year expansion in which industrial investment exceeded AED 3.51 billion across 99 projects. The emirate’s participation comes as the UAE intensifies efforts to localise production, deepen advanced manufacturing capabilities and reduce exposure to global supply-chain shocks.
Sharjah’s industrial profile is significant by UAE standards. The emirate accounts for about 40 per cent of the country’s industrial establishments, supported by 21 specialised industrial zones, free zones, ports, warehousing facilities and road links connecting manufacturers to the Northern Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and export markets. More than 2,800 industrial enterprises operate in the emirate, spanning food processing, packaging, metals, construction materials, plastics, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and light manufacturing.
Licensing data points to sustained business formation. Sharjah issued 532 new industrial licences in 2025, a 17 per cent increase, underlining continued demand from investors seeking lower operating costs, access to skilled labour, and proximity to regional trade routes. The emirate has also introduced an instant industrial licence priced at AED 1,000, designed to reduce entry barriers for manufacturers and entrepreneurs starting approved industrial activities.
The move is expected to be particularly useful for small and medium-sized manufacturers, pilot production units and entrepreneurs moving from concept to commercial operations. By lowering initial licensing costs and simplifying procedures, Sharjah is positioning itself as a practical manufacturing base for companies that may not require the higher-cost industrial footprint associated with larger regional hubs.
Sharjah’s presentation at Make it in the Emirates 2026 is being led by a high-level delegation showcasing the emirate’s industrial ecosystem. The pitch combines investment promotion, regulatory facilitation, export readiness and infrastructure availability. Officials have framed the emirate’s proposition around long-term competitiveness rather than short-cycle incentives, pointing to its ports, industrial land supply, transport links and business support institutions.
Mohamed Al Musharrkh, chief executive officer of Sharjah FDI Office, has said the emirate’s momentum reflects an integrated approach anchored in infrastructure, regulatory support and competitiveness. Sara Al Nuaimi, chief executive officer of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, has highlighted innovation-driven industrial growth as a central part of the emirate’s next phase, particularly as manufacturing shifts towards automation, sustainability and higher-value production.
The national context is also important. Make it in the Emirates 2026, held from 4 to 7 May at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, has drawn wide participation from manufacturers, government entities, investors and technology companies. The platform supports Operation 300Bn, the UAE strategy aimed at raising the industrial sector’s contribution to gross domestic product to AED 300 billion by 2031. The strategy places priority on advanced technology, food security, pharmaceuticals, clean energy equipment, heavy industries and future-facing manufacturing.
Sharjah’s industrial growth sits within that larger policy push, but its competitive edge differs from Abu Dhabi’s capital-intensive industrial strategy and Dubai’s trade-driven manufacturing model. Sharjah has built its appeal around cost efficiency, a wide base of established industrial estates, strong small-business networks and access to ports on both the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. That geography gives manufacturers flexibility in sourcing, production and export planning.
Industrial real estate activity has reinforced this positioning. Sharjah’s industrial property market recorded AED 9.24 billion in transactions, reflecting investor interest in warehouses, factories and logistics-linked assets. Demand has been supported by manufacturers seeking built-up facilities, storage capacity and plots suitable for expansion.
The emirate’s challenge will be to convert licensing momentum into higher-value production and long-term employment. Low-cost licences can attract entrepreneurs, but sustained industrial competitiveness depends on energy pricing, access to finance, export channels, skilled workers, digital adoption and compliance with environmental standards. Manufacturers also face pressure from rising automation costs, tighter supply-chain due diligence and competition from industrial zones elsewhere in the Gulf.
The figures, announced at the national industrial platform in Abu Dhabi, place Sharjah’s 2025 performance within a broader five-year expansion in which industrial investment exceeded AED 3.51 billion across 99 projects. The emirate’s participation comes as the UAE intensifies efforts to localise production, deepen advanced manufacturing capabilities and reduce exposure to global supply-chain shocks.
Sharjah’s industrial profile is significant by UAE standards. The emirate accounts for about 40 per cent of the country’s industrial establishments, supported by 21 specialised industrial zones, free zones, ports, warehousing facilities and road links connecting manufacturers to the Northern Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and export markets. More than 2,800 industrial enterprises operate in the emirate, spanning food processing, packaging, metals, construction materials, plastics, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and light manufacturing.
Licensing data points to sustained business formation. Sharjah issued 532 new industrial licences in 2025, a 17 per cent increase, underlining continued demand from investors seeking lower operating costs, access to skilled labour, and proximity to regional trade routes. The emirate has also introduced an instant industrial licence priced at AED 1,000, designed to reduce entry barriers for manufacturers and entrepreneurs starting approved industrial activities.
The move is expected to be particularly useful for small and medium-sized manufacturers, pilot production units and entrepreneurs moving from concept to commercial operations. By lowering initial licensing costs and simplifying procedures, Sharjah is positioning itself as a practical manufacturing base for companies that may not require the higher-cost industrial footprint associated with larger regional hubs.
Sharjah’s presentation at Make it in the Emirates 2026 is being led by a high-level delegation showcasing the emirate’s industrial ecosystem. The pitch combines investment promotion, regulatory facilitation, export readiness and infrastructure availability. Officials have framed the emirate’s proposition around long-term competitiveness rather than short-cycle incentives, pointing to its ports, industrial land supply, transport links and business support institutions.
Mohamed Al Musharrkh, chief executive officer of Sharjah FDI Office, has said the emirate’s momentum reflects an integrated approach anchored in infrastructure, regulatory support and competitiveness. Sara Al Nuaimi, chief executive officer of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, has highlighted innovation-driven industrial growth as a central part of the emirate’s next phase, particularly as manufacturing shifts towards automation, sustainability and higher-value production.
The national context is also important. Make it in the Emirates 2026, held from 4 to 7 May at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, has drawn wide participation from manufacturers, government entities, investors and technology companies. The platform supports Operation 300Bn, the UAE strategy aimed at raising the industrial sector’s contribution to gross domestic product to AED 300 billion by 2031. The strategy places priority on advanced technology, food security, pharmaceuticals, clean energy equipment, heavy industries and future-facing manufacturing.
Sharjah’s industrial growth sits within that larger policy push, but its competitive edge differs from Abu Dhabi’s capital-intensive industrial strategy and Dubai’s trade-driven manufacturing model. Sharjah has built its appeal around cost efficiency, a wide base of established industrial estates, strong small-business networks and access to ports on both the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. That geography gives manufacturers flexibility in sourcing, production and export planning.
Industrial real estate activity has reinforced this positioning. Sharjah’s industrial property market recorded AED 9.24 billion in transactions, reflecting investor interest in warehouses, factories and logistics-linked assets. Demand has been supported by manufacturers seeking built-up facilities, storage capacity and plots suitable for expansion.
The emirate’s challenge will be to convert licensing momentum into higher-value production and long-term employment. Low-cost licences can attract entrepreneurs, but sustained industrial competitiveness depends on energy pricing, access to finance, export channels, skilled workers, digital adoption and compliance with environmental standards. Manufacturers also face pressure from rising automation costs, tighter supply-chain due diligence and competition from industrial zones elsewhere in the Gulf.
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