SCCI hosts Sharjah-Côte d’Ivoire Business Forum

Held at SCCI's headquarters, the forum brought together senior representatives from the UAE’s private sector, particularly Sharjah-based businesses, and their counterparts from Côte d’Ivoire, spanning key strategic sectors such as manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, logistics, and renewable energy.

The forum was attended by Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI, and Mr. Toure Faman, President of Côte d’Ivoire Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Also present were SCCI Board Members Halima Humaid Ali Al Owais and Mohamed Rashid Ali Demas, along with Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Business Sector at SCCI, and Fatima Khalifa Al Mokarrab, Director of SCCI's International Relations Department. The gathering also included influential business figures and officials from both chambers, fostering collaboration and mutual engagement.

On the sidelines of the forum, SCCI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cote d’Ivoire Chamber of Commerce and Industry to strengthen cooperation and boost bilateral trade volume and mutual investments between the business communities of both countries.

Key objectives include enhancing economic collaboration, facilitating reciprocal trade missions and business delegations’ visits, and establishing an expanded business network to streamline the exchange of opportunities. The MoU also emphasises coordinated efforts in participating in trade shows, conferences, and events hosted by both countries to maximize investment promotion efforts.
In his address at the forum,  Abdallah Sultan Al Owais emphasised the importance of the gathering, highlighting its potential to establish impactful partnerships and unlock growth opportunities for both nations. He underscored the attractive opportunities, incentives, and business advantages offered by both the emirate of Sharjah and Côte d’Ivoire, encouraging increased investment and the expansion of current ventures.

Al Owais also pointed to the robust and expanding economic relations between the UAE and Côte d’Ivoire and the potential for enhanced investments in key sectors such as food security, agriculture, manufacturing, and logistics. 

He added that the strong ties between the two countries are pivotal in driving economic growth and social progress, noting that the Sharjah-Côte d’Ivoire Business Forum offers a strategic platform for unlocking new business opportunities between the two sides. 

Al Owais highlighted the remarkable growth in UAE-Côte d’Ivoire bilateral trade, with non-oil trade reaching $468 million in 2023- a 95 percent increase compared to 2020. He also pointed to the increasing investment flows as a testament to the deepening economic ties between the two countries. 

He reiterated the shared commitment of both nations to strengthening their partnership and bolstering cooperation in priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, and telecommunications.

For his part, Toure Faman expressed his gratitude to the Sharjah Chamber’s officials for their warm hospitality and efforts to foster stronger connections between the business sectors of Sharjah and Côte d’Ivoire. 

He highlighted the remarkable growth in economic and trade relations between the two countries, with an average annual increase of 16 percent over the past decade. 

Faman stressed that the Sharjah-Côte d’Ivoire Business Forum reflects the shared vision of both countries’ leaderships to advancing bilateral cooperation. Coinciding with the visit of Côte d’Ivoire’s Prime Minister to the UAE, the Forum marks a significant step forward in the development of relations with the UAE's private sector, bolstered by numerous business meetings over the past five years. 

The Sharjah-Côte d’Ivoire Business Forum showcased the wide range of investment opportunities available in the emirate of Sharjah across various key sectors, emphasising its investor-friendly environment designed to drive business growth. With robust infrastructure and streamlined support, Sharjah offers businesses strategic access to diverse markets, enabling them to expand their reach, boost trade activities, and increase export volumes.

The forum featured one-on-one business meetings between Sharjah-based companies and entrepreneurs and their counterparts from Côte d’Ivoire. These meetings aimed to uncover investment prospects in both markets, facilitating the exchange of insights into key enablers and promising fields of investment.