Ministers and officials: The UAE is stronger with its industrial sovereignty

The first main dialogue sessions of the opening day of the “Make in the UAE 2026” platform, yesterday, confirmed that the rapid response and high flexibility recorded by various sectors in the UAE recently, demonstrated the importance of thoughtful strategic plans, and the values of proactiveness and readiness, which the UAE adopted in its various vital sectors early years ago, and today demonstrated the level of capabilities, potentials and national human energies in adapting competently and competently to all changes and dealing efficiently and confidently with various challenges, until it emerged from… Emergency exceptional circumstances are stronger than ever.

In a central discussion session entitled “Dealing with Changes – Protecting Supply Chains and Industrial Flexibility,” ministers and officials affirmed that the UAE is stronger with its industrial sovereignty and its adoption of advanced technology and flexibility of supply chains, noting that the options for enhancing national energy security, proceeding confidently with comprehensive economic partnership agreements with dozens of countries, and purposeful investment in developing advanced industries and technology, are pivotal factors that have established the industrial flexibility of UAE industries over the coming years and decades.

Participants pointed out that UAE industries in general, and advanced ones in particular, today enjoy various energy mix options, and diversified export market opportunities and supply chains through national content, as well as partnerships with major and emerging economies, in a way that enhances their competitiveness and leadership, in addition to the potential for research, development and innovation.

The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Al Mazrouei, said that the world needs more energy, so there is a necessity for more production, and that the UAE will always remain a responsible energy producer, an enabler of growth, and a contributor to global stability, and the balance between supply and demand. He pointed out that the decision to exit OPEC was taken in a thoughtful manner, and will give freedom to produce needs, thus enhancing planning and decision-making capabilities in various industries, stressing that this flexibility enables and strengthens the “Made in the UAE” path.

He praised the role of ADNOC and its group of companies, which was pivotal in supporting the industrial position that the country has achieved today.

Regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Mazrouei said: “No one should be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, and production must be made to refill global strategic reserves, with the necessity of opening the Strait without the possibility of re-closing it again. We will produce at the pace required by global demand, as well as our national industries.”

For his part, Minister of Foreign Trade, Thani Al-Zeyoudi, said that opening new markets and enhancing supply chain solutions available to Emirati industries and exports give a growing and sustainable momentum to the role of the Emirati industrial sector in enhancing the country’s foreign trade revenues and sustaining its contribution to economic diversification in a world that aspires to stability and economic growth.

He explained that the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade exceeded one trillion dollars (3.8 trillion dirhams) in the year 2025, with a growth of 27% over the previous year, adding: “The flexibility resulting from the agreements we concluded proved useful in the last period, and we succeeded in dealing with different scenarios thanks to the preparedness that we developed.”

Al-Zeyoudi continued: “We are connected to more than 250 ports around the world, and this gives us a greater margin in the field of supply chains, and we have a long-term policy, always based on building partnerships, attracting investments, and developing strategic projects and infrastructure.”

In turn, Faisal Al Bannai, Advisor to His Highness the President of the State for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the EDGE Group, said that the UAE is keen to enhance its investments and expand its cooperation in the fields of advanced technology, which constitute a vital guarantee for future readiness, pointing to a package of partnerships concluded by the UAE that have strategically strengthened the capabilities of advanced local industries.

He added: “The local capabilities of the UAE’s defense industries have proven their national role, and played a pivotal role in defending the country’s lands in the past period with great efficiency. We expect the growth of these national capabilities of our defense industries to multiply 100-fold in the future.”

Al-Bannai pointed out that some of the industrial capabilities of air defense systems, which require programs extending for two years to develop and manufacture, were completed within 15 days, and were activated within an additional 15 days during the last period.

He said: “Since the founding of EDGE, six and a half years ago, the percentage of foreign orders placed on our local defense industry was 2%, while last year it reached 70%.”