SCCI wraps up trade mission to India

These meetings took place on the sidelines of the Business Forum organised by the Sharjah Chamber in Ahmedabad, the second stop of the mission. The forum explored key opportunities for both sides to strengthen economic partnerships and deepen industrial and investment collaboration between Emirati and Indian private sector stakeholders.

The forum was attended by His Excellency Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI; His Excellency Waleed AbdelRahman BuKhatir, Second Vice Chairman of SCCI; and H.E. Jamal Mohamed Sultan Binhuwaidin, SCCI Board Member.

Also present were Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Business Sector at SCCI; Ali Abdullah Al Jari, Director of the Sharjah Export Development Centre; and Jamal Saeed Bouzanjal, Director of Corporate Communication at SCCI; along with several Chamber staff. 

The forum also saw participation of business leaders, entrepreneurs and private sector representatives from both Sharjah and Ahmedabad, which is recognized as a major industrial hub in India.

The forum’s agenda included focused B2B meetings and detailed presentations highlighting key investment opportunities across diverse economic sectors in both Sharjah and Ahmedabad.

Special emphasis was placed on Sharjah’s business-friendly environment, including its world-class infrastructure and investor incentives. The Sharjah Chamber showcased its suite of support services aimed at enabling entrepreneurs to scale their operations and expand their global market reach.

In his keynote speech, His Excellency Abdallah Sultan Al Owais said that the Sharjah–India Business Forum in Ahmedabad is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the rapidly growing economic and trade relations between the two countries.

He noted that India’s exports to the UAE totaled around USD 37.1 billion in 2024. India also ranked as the top destination for the UAE’s non-oil exports, accounting for 13.5% of total exports and recording a record growth of 75.2% compared to 2023.

“Through this mission, we aim to convert this positive momentum into fruitful partnerships between the business communities of the UAE and India in general, and between Sharjah and Ahmedabad in particular, thereby enhancing economic and investment collaboration to support joint growth,” Al Owais added.

He highlighted Sharjah’s position as a premier investment destination for Indian enterprises, with more than 20,000 Indian companies now headquartered in the emirate, demonstrating increasing investor confidence in Sharjah’s business climate.

He further underlined the strategic significance of Ahmedabad as one of India’s most vibrant industrial and economic powerhouses, noting that its business and industrial stakeholders stand to benefit from Sharjah’s advanced industrial base, which hosts more than 35% of the UAE’s total manufacturing facilities.

Concluding the second leg of their trade mission to India, the Sharjah Chamber delegation carried out on-site visits to several economic institutions in Ahmedabad, where they gained insights into their business activities and service offerings.

These visits featured discussions on potential areas of cooperation, industrial integration, exchange of expertise, and the adoption of best practices, with the aim of establishing investment partnerships that serve the interests of both sides.