Sharjah Investment Forum 2025 discusses the role of the digital generation, building a green economy, and sustainable finance

Sharjah, 22 October / WAM / International experts and economists stressed that building a green economy requires an integrated policy system and expertise capable of understanding the needs of the private sector and linking them to job opportunities and rehabilitating skills. They stressed the importance of the role of consumers in reducing carbon emissions.

This came during a dialogue session within the activities of the “Sharjah Investment Forum” and the “World Investment Conference” 2025, which was held under the title: “Green Gold: Competitive Advantage through Sustainable Investment” and highlighted the policies, financing, and opportunities that can make sustainability a major driver of growth and sustainability.

International experts and economists pointed out that 60% of young people are willing to pay an additional cost for environmentally friendly products, which makes the green economy the nucleus of the future economy, calling for activating environmental commitments and turning them into effective policies.

Participating in the session were Ri Vis Kjeldgaard, Director of the Department of Sustainable Institutions, Productivity and Just Transitions at the International Labor Organization, Professor Ray Kwon Chung, Ambassador for Climate Change, Member of the Board of Directors of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Hani Idris, Member of the Board of Directors of the International Development Bank, Professor Lisa Sutch, Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Investment at Columbia University, and Roslyn Ngeno, an investment expert. At the General Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Reface Kjeldgaard reviewed one of the experiences in the Sultanate of Oman regarding an electric battery project that focused on supporting small and medium enterprises and provided more than 2,700 engineering jobs, 20% of which were allocated to women, pointing to the Brazilian experience, which created more than 90,000 job opportunities in sustainable agricultural industries, which contributed to strengthening the local economy and achieving social inclusion.

For his part, Professor Ray Kwon Chung stressed the importance of the role of consumers in reducing carbon emissions, noting that 60% of young people are willing to pay an additional cost for environmentally friendly products. He cited the experiences of individuals from various countries of the world who adopted the option of sustainable agriculture and succeeded in achieving high financial returns, which reflects the economic feasibility of the green transformation.

Hani Idris explained that sustainable financing has become pivotal in managing credit risks, especially in marginal markets, and called for activating financing tools such as green bonds and risk-sharing guarantees to enhance capital flows towards green projects, stressing that sustainability has become a competitive criterion in banking evaluation.

In the same context, Professor Lisa Sach pointed out that the challenge of access to clean energy infrastructure represents the major obstacle to sustainable investments, noting that the irony is that Africa possesses 60% of the world’s solar energy resources while 80% of its population lacks clean energy sources due to bureaucratic complications.

For her part, Roslyn Ngino called for transforming environmental commitments into effective legislation, noting that 55 African countries have ratified legal frameworks that support sustainability, but they still need political and institutional activation to translate those commitments into reality.

Today, the Sharjah Investment Forum 2025 also witnessed an exceptional dialogue session titled “From Content to Capital: How the Digital Generation Contributes to Shaping Global Investments,” presented by the prominent Indian entrepreneur and content creator Raj Chamani, one of the most famous influencers in the fields of entrepreneurship and the digital economy in Asia and the world.

In light of the forum’s theme for this year, “Leading the Global Transformation: Investing towards a Flexible and Sustainable Future,” Chamani explained that content creation is no longer just a means of communication or entertainment, but rather has become a major tributary to building brands and stimulating new capital.

Raj Chamani focused on the importance of trust in the world of digital content, stressing that success is not based on attracting attention only, but rather on building a sustainable relationship with the audience. The reality is that you do not need attention, but rather you need trust, and this is what really matters.

Shamani touched on the importance of cooperation with experts and those with traditional experience in investment, especially when converting digital influence into capital, explaining that working alone may lead to failure, while cooperation with those who understand the system and the market provides better opportunities.

On the other hand, the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and the Sharjah Economic Development Department reviewed during the forum their most prominent initiatives and projects that support entrepreneurship and innovation, their efforts and projects.

His Excellency Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Executive Director of Shurooq, praised Sharjah’s hosting of the tenth edition of the forum, stressing that what distinguishes this edition is its coincidence with the World Investment Forum, which gives a global character to the forum in the presence of major figures from around the world, along with an elite group of speakers.

Al Quseir said in statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the Authority is focusing during this event on the “Ajwan” project in the city of Khor Fakkan, whose construction work will begin soon and will be completed within two years, in addition to our latest project in the hospitality sector, which is the “Rahal” project, which consists of 20 trailers in the city of Kalba, which is a unique and qualitative experience in this sector and will be completed next November.

He pointed out that the Kalba Beach project is under construction and will be completed by the end of next year, noting that the waterfront renovation project in the city of Kalba is currently being worked on and will be completed in the last quarter of next year, as well as the “Luxe” hotel project in Khor Fakkan, which will be completed next year as well, and the “Luxe” hotel in the “Al-Bardi” area to be completed by the end of next year.

During the participation of the Department of Economic Development in Sharjah in the Sharjah Investment Forum 2025, His Excellency Hamad Ali Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Chairman of the Department of Economic Development in Sharjah, said: “Our participation in the Annual Investment Forum 2025 with a group of strategic partners who represent the Emirate of Sharjah, in the presence of an elite group of decision-makers, leaders, and senior government officials at the local, regional and international levels, is a valuable opportunity for us to introduce investors to the Department’s work method and the services it provides.” Facilities for business owners and companies.

His Excellency explained that the participation comes within the framework of the department’s keenness to support the strategic directions of the Emirate of Sharjah towards strengthening its position as an attractive and competitive economic center at the regional and global levels, noting that the forum represents an important platform for reviewing economic initiatives and policies that contribute to improving the business environment and attracting quality investments.

He pointed out that the department succeeded, through its focus on organizing and activating the economic sectors in the emirate, in encouraging local and international investments in commercial projects and others, which represents one of the most important main goals that the department works to achieve by creating the appropriate economic climate for growth and attracting investments.

During its participation, the department reviewed its most prominent initiatives and projects that support entrepreneurship and innovation and its efforts to empower small and medium enterprises, in addition to its role in spreading investment awareness and promoting the culture of self-employment among segments of society.

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