"Sharjah Business Forum – Mexico" It enhances cooperation in supporting innovation and growth in non -oil sectors

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Sharjah, April 29 / WAM / The Sharjah Foreign Investment Office (invested in Sharjah) yesterday, “The Sharjah – Mexico Business Forum” in the “House of Wisdom” in Sharjah, coincided with the 50th anniversary of the start of the start of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and Mexico. The forum aims to enhance economic relations between the two sides, discuss cooperation opportunities in non -oil sectors, especially real estate, heavy manufacturing, and stimulate innovation and the growth of startups, as well as exploring the extensive investment and commercial prospects provided by Sharjah to Mexican companies, South American markets and the Caribbean.

The Business Forum was attended by His Excellency Luis Alfonso de Alba, Mexico Ambassador to the state, His Excellency Mohamed Jumaa Al -Mashrakh, Executive Director of “Invest in Sharjah” and Raphael Villalona, Chairman of the Mexican Business Council and a group of major investors, where the participants stressed the importance of international cooperation to support innovation and build economies that combine modernity, growth and sustainability.

The activities of the forum included a discussion session, entitled “Because it is Sharjah … Opportunities Without Borders” with the participation of Issa Ataya, CEO of Alf Group, Marwan Al -Ajla, Director of the Promotion and Support of Investment in the Sharjah Foreign Investment Office, Khalifa Al Hosani, Vice President Vidalgo Arias, CEO of Metaturon.

His Excellency Luis Alfonso de Alba emphasized that the Emirate of Sharjah played a pivotal role in strengthening relations between the United Arab Emirates and Mexico, especially in the culture and economy sectors, pointing to Sharjah’s participation of the guest of honor of the Jadalahra exhibition for the book 2022 and the growing trade exchange between the two countries, especially in the real estate, manufacturing and agricultural technology sectors.

He said: Mexico seeks to expand its trade relations with various countries of the world, and despite the presence of Mexican companies currently operating in Sharjah, there are many promising opportunities that herald more cooperation and investment exchange in the future.

For his part, His Excellency Mohamed Jumaa Al-Mashrakh expressed his optimism about the outputs of the forum, recalling his visit to the Central American region, saying I had the honor to participate in the official delegation of the United Arab Emirates to Mexico during the period 2018-2019 headed by the Ministry of Economy, which aimed to strengthen bilateral relations and explore the prospects for economic cooperation.

He stressed, Sharjah’s growing attractiveness to Mexican companies, noting that the emirate hosts more than 45 Mexican companies and the volume of its imports from Mexico reached 7 million dirhams in 2024, noting that Sharjah and Mexico’s aspirations are close despite the distances.

In turn, Rafael Villalona said that the council will celebrate in the coming weeks the first anniversary of its founding, pointing to the growth of the Mexican business sector in the UAE, explaining that the volume of bilateral trade between the UAE and Mexico has doubled during the past four years to reach 2.5 billion dollars in 2023, and the revenues of the Mexican company “Sympix” in the UAE increased from 70.1 million dollars to more than 180 million dollars with more than 700 opportunities a job.

Villalona called for focusing on the construction, auto and agricultural industry sectors as priority areas, noting the excellence of Mexico in the automotive industry, as it occupies the fourth position in the world in the production of auto parts in addition to its leadership in the agricultural sector.

During the session, Issa Ataya pointed to the prosperity of the real estate sector in Sharjah, and an annual increase in transactions by 31.9%, as transactions recorded 13.2 billion. The gifts of this growth linked the organizational terminology – especially allowing foreigners to complete ownership in custom areas – which contributed to raising the number of foreign investors by 25.3% to reach 3725 investors.

He stressed the advantages of efficiency, low costs and real estate prices in Sharjah, highlighting a number of projects of a group, including “Hayyan” and “walkway” as promising models for international investors.

Khalifa Al -Hosani reviewed the financial solutions that support the growth of companies, including specialized loan programs and credit guarantees provided to small and medium -sized companies, stressing that the system of these companies in Sharjah constitutes an ideal platform for launching growth and expansion projects, indicating the bank’s commitment to support innovation in vital sectors such as manufacturing and renewable energy.

In turn, Marwan Al -Ajal spoke about the strategic advantages of the emirate, pointing to its strong association with global markets and the diversity of its economic sectors and its business -supporting policies.

The wheel emphasized the support provided by Sharjah to investors and companies from the founding stage until the expansion, pointing to modern innovations, including the launch of a commercial license supported by artificial intelligence, which can be issued within 5 minutes, noting the importance of industrial and logistical centers in the emirate such as the Hamriyah Free Zone and the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Complex as active platforms to enhance international cooperation.

The session also included a review of Mexican visions and the participation of Mexican entrepreneurs of their experiences and strategies in the UAE markets, where Sergio de la Viga, CEO of Superkol, addressed the role of smart and sustainable cooling solutions that his company provides in promoting efforts towards achieving net carbon sparish emission, stressing that the climatic goals of the UAE open the way for companies towards more innovations and in a special way in the field Sustainability technology.

Tiros Vidalgo Areeas stressed the strategic importance of the Emirate of Sharjah in the region, noting that it is a distinctive logistical center for the company’s operations, and that shipping from Mexico to China usually takes three to four months while allowing them to work from the United Arab Emirates to reduce the period of shipping to only two weeks.

The participants expressed their confidence in the next road map. By taking advantage of cooperation in various sectors and enhancing dialogue with private sector companies, the two countries seek to write a new chapter in the history of international cooperation that is characterized by innovation, flexibility and prosperity.