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From Ruwad’s grassroots support and EGF’s growth capital to NXN’s digital-logistics revolution and Sharjah’s world-class destinations through SCTDA’s official tourism guide, ‘Visit Sharjah’; the message was clear that the UAE is building a resilient, sustainable, and diversified economic future through targeted, collaborative, and data-driven initiatives.
Fatima Abdulrahem Al Zarooni from the Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Projects (Ruwad) outlined its comprehensive support for homegrown entrepreneurs, and emphasised the foundation’s mission, stating, “Our goal is to empower national talent by providing not just financing, but a complete ecosystem that includes training, government incentives, and market access.”
To date, this approach has led Ruwad to back over 1,900 national projects. The foundation’s dual-finance model offers direct, interest-free loans up to AED 400,000 and facilitates larger bank loans up to AED 2 million by covering 25% of the guarantees. Members also gain an advantage through a mandate that allocates 10% of annual government purchases to Emirati SMEs.
During a workshop presented by Matthew Singh, Head of Investments at the Emirates Growth Fund (EGF), he directly addressed the major funding challenges facing local businesses, saying “We identified an estimated AED 7 billion equity funding gap for UAE SMEs; the very businesses that form the backbone of our economy, contributing 64% of the non-oil GDP. Backed by Emirates Development Bank, EGF’s AED 1 billion fund is designed specifically to bridge this ‘missing middle’, and accelerate the scale and global competitiveness of operating UAE-based SMEs.”
Through their Growth Capital model focused on developmental impact, the fund makes active minority investments with ticket sizes of AED 10-50 million in scalable SMEs within priority sectors like Manufacturing, Food Security, Healthcare, and Advanced Technology. Singh stressed their long-term partnership model, aiming to support 30-50 high-growth SMEs per cycle and projecting the creation of over 5,000 jobs. Their impactful strategy is already visible with a minority stake acquired in ‘Tarmeem Orthopedics’, which is a world-class UAE healthcare provider and has served over 20,000 patients.
In the third workshop presentation of the day by 7X, who oversee a number of companies including Emirates Post and FINTX; Jerees Tadros, Senior Director of Commercial & Business Development; and Rami Khader, a Digital Transformation Leader; unveiled ‘NXN’, the UAE’s National Logistics Network, and Tadros set the vision, explaining, “We are transforming the logistics landscape from a fragmented series of services into a single, partner-neutral ecosystem built on four pillars: Send, Receive, Store, and Enable.” This vision is powered by an extensive infrastructure of 87+ branches and 1,000+ access points, with plans for massive expansion.
Rami Khader then discussed their recently launched digital platform, ‘Waslah’, noting, “For SMEs, who represent 98% of UAE companies, high logistics costs are a major barrier. Waslah integrates couriers like DHL and Aramex into one platform, giving small businesses the competitive rates and tools they need to compete and expand effortlessly.” This is essential for a market where e-commerce is growing at 11% CAGR.
The day concluded with the panel discussion, “Sharjah Tourism: Present Potentials and Future Horizons,” moderated by Amna Al Qasimi, Head of Content at the Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Niama Al Ali, Head of Research & Statistics at SCTDA, opened with compelling data, noting, “We welcomed 486,000 guests in Q1 2025, and the 23% growth in the first nine months has already generated over AED 500 million in revenue.” Ahmed bin Al Shaikh, Manager of Destination Development at SCTDA, highlighted the broader economic impact, stating the sector contributes AED 10.8 billion to GDP and supports over 40,000 jobs. He also outlined a forward-looking vision for “Modern Tourism” built on sustainable destinations and public-private partnerships.
Joining the panel was Fares Malaeb, Director of Sales & Alliances at Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (SHUROOQ), who detailed their expansion of experiential retreats, stating, “Creating sustainable destinations is a core pillar within our strategy and our eco-focused ‘Sharjah Collection’ luxury retreats will soon grow to ten destinations with three new additions.” Jasem Zaiton, Founder of Cruise Zaiton, discussed strategic plans to position Khorfakkan as a premier cruise destination, and promoted Sharjah ports as a gateway to the UAE. Together, the panelists underscored a unified strategy centered on digital innovation, sustainability, and collaboration, solidifying Sharjah’s status as a top-tier tourist destination.