The Make in UAE 2026 platform presents insights into the role of technology in developing Industry 5.0
Abu Dhabi, 6 May / WAM / The activities of the third day of the “Make in the UAE 2026” platform witnessed broad interaction from participants and lively discussions between industry experts, policy designers, and future trend forecasters about the expected role of technology, its emerging innovations, and new applications, such as artificial intelligence, in restructuring the industrial sector and paving the way for the fifth generation of industry, “5.0”.
The activities focused on the theme of “The driving force of technology and shaping the future of the manufacturing industry in the UAE,” reviewing the role of artificial intelligence, robotics, smart mobility and autonomous systems in enhancing industrial performance in various parts of the UAE.
The Ministry of Investment announced, through the “Make in the Emirates 2026” platform, the launch of a white paper on advanced manufacturing in the UAE, entitled “The UAE: A glimpse of industrial excellence – towards the industries of the future,” as it reviews the transformation of the UAE industrial model as one of the most advanced, innovative and attractive industrial systems for investment. The Ministry also announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind “Investment Atlas” based on live data and artificial intelligence analyzes in partnership with leading entities from all over the country, to highlight promising investment opportunities. In the UAE in 35 sectors. The launch was announced by Latifa Al Shehhi, Director of the Investment Data Department at the Ministry of Investment.
Badr Al Jabri, Vice President of Manufacturing Technologies at EDGE Group, Ghaleb Afifi, Vice President of Corporate Excellence at Borouge, Maitha Al Suwaidi, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer at Microsoft Middle East and Africa, and Dr. Todd Laursen, Chancellor of the American University of Sharjah, participated in a key session that discussed the prospects for humanity’s transition from the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the fifth generation of human-centered smart industry.
The speakers discussed opportunities to accelerate the shift towards the fifth generation of Industry 5.0. Or what some know as the Fifth Industrial Revolution, with a focus on cooperation between humans and machines, promoting ethical and sustainable practices, and facilitating the workforce’s keeping pace with transformations by enhancing their skills and building their capabilities.
Badr Al-Jabri said that the governance of the fifth generation of industry is very vital to ensure the centrality of the human role in decision-making at the level of individuals and institutions, all the way to societies and countries, calling for enhancing the efficiency of smart systems in a way that ensures the thoughtful and rapid adoption at the same time of the latest findings in artificial intelligence technology, in order to ensure a thoughtful and rapid adoption of the latest artificial intelligence technologies, to consolidate the country’s position as a global center for industrial innovation.
Dr. Todd Laursen considered that technological research, which has become faster in today’s world, requires today’s students and future generations to work with artificial intelligence more deeply and accurately by constantly verifying the proposals and results provided by the large prevailing models of interactive as well as generative artificial intelligence.
Maitha Al Suwaidi confirmed that the UAE has a competitive advantage, as the UAE ranked first in the world in terms of its population adopting the use of artificial intelligence at a rate of 64%, noting that the leadership’s strategic vision, qualitative infrastructure, and motivational components in all sectors make the UAE a leading global model in this field.
Ghaleb Afiqi pointed out that the UAE excels globally in the speed and efficiency of transforming strategic visions related to adopting the latest technology and artificial intelligence applications into tangible reality at an unprecedented pace and momentum unmatched anywhere else.
A high-level dialogue was also organized on enhancing the resilience of national industry in a changing world, which discussed doubling the adaptation of local industrial sectors through diversification, localization, advanced technologies, partnerships and cross-border cooperation.
Musabih Al Kaabi, CEO of the Exploration, Development and Production Department at ADNOC, spoke about the qualitative successes of national operations in the field of flexibility of operational and production processes in various sectors, stressing the importance of national content.
He said that ADNOC, which has about 50,000 employees, plays a vital role in the national content program and is a major contributor to enhancing national content, expanding the industrial base locally, and in economic and social development and the national economy.
He pointed out that partnerships have been the foundation of the oil industry in the UAE since the beginning of its operations, expressing ADNOC’s pride in the strength of the partnerships it has concluded, which have demonstrated its mettle in the face of challenges and changes, stressing that the UAE confidently continues its role as a destination for establishing and conducting business and for all those who have creative and innovative ideas thanks to its vital, integrated, competitive and attractive system.
He explained that the UAE provides a flexible legislative system and a competitive economic environment, and places a great emphasis on technology and innovation, making it an ideal platform for expanding industrial business and supporting regional and global markets.
A keynote session touched on the topic of accelerating the adoption of industrial technology on a large scale, and the dialogue was attended by Sergei Brašević, General Manager of Nestlé Middle East, Ediz Eren, Regional Vice President for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa Region at Rockwell Automation, and Belkacem Mourad, Senior Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Region at Weatherford Company.
The session discussed opportunities to expand the scope of advanced manufacturing technologies beyond prototypes and experimental tests to large-scale application, allowing successful innovations to be replicated in various stages and components of industrial biosystems.
Sergei Brasevich emphasized that true innovation is based on combining data and artificial intelligence on the one hand, and direct interaction with individuals on the other hand.
“To unleash the potential of innovation, we need to combine data and artificial intelligence to understand new trends and opportunities,” he said. He noted that this integration enables companies to identify new spaces they can enter and compete in effectively.
Ediz Eren explained that talk about the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been going on for more than 15 years, but many institutions are still not ready in terms of data availability, operational connectivity, and application of cybersecurity solutions. “If we are not prepared to provide data, connectivity, and implement cybersecurity solutions, we are falling behind,” he said.
He stressed that digital infrastructure readiness represents the basis that enables institutions to actually benefit from smart manufacturing technologies.
As for Mourad Belkacem, he spoke about an opportunity to overcome the challenges facing companies when trying to expand the scope of pilot projects, calling for more flexibility when moving from experimentation to implementation and expansion, in order to avoid additional costs and wasted time.
A keynote session highlighted the pharmaceutical industries in terms of production continuity and enhancing quality standards digitally.
Dr. Basem Al-Brahma, CEO of Global Pharma, Hamad Hussein Al-Marzouqi, Executive Vice President of Mubadala Bio, and Marwan Abdul Aziz Al-Janahi, Senior Vice President of TECOM Group – Dubai Science Park, discussed the role of advanced manufacturing, continuous production, digital quality systems, and facilities and facilities ready to adhere to regulatory frameworks in reshaping drug production systems locally and globally.
Hamad Al Marzouqi explained that building a local pharmaceutical sector capable of global competition is an ambition based on a set of basic pillars, foremost of which is the presence of a clear national strategy that defines therapeutic priorities according to the needs of society, the ability to adopt cost-effective and quality manufacturing methods to enhance the competitiveness of national products in international markets, achieving integration between regulatory authorities and various parties concerned, and applying the highest quality standards in all stages of production, as well as long-term investment in the life sciences sector.
Marwan Abdul Aziz Janahi stressed the importance of specialized economic zones in developing an integrated system for innovation, which contributes to attracting international companies and providing a supportive environment for the growth of startups, as well as building integrated value chains that include research, development, manufacturing, and the availability of qualified human competencies. He also pointed out that achieving innovative sovereignty represents a special priority in the health care sector, to develop local solutions that take into account the health and environmental characteristics of society.
Dr. Bassem Al-Brahma stressed that the life sciences sector is directly related to human health, well-being and quality of life, which makes it one of the most sensitive and important sectors. He stressed that the continuity and development of pharmaceutical production represents an urgent necessity, especially in light of global health challenges, noting that any slowdown in this sector may directly reflect on the safety of societies, which requires encouraging more innovation and expansion of production capabilities, and ensuring the sustainability of operations, in a way that enhances the ability of health systems to respond to future crises and challenges.
In a session entitled “Accelerating Smart Manufacturing,” expanding the scope of adoption of the fourth generation of Industry 4.0 and moving from pilot projects to industrial impact was discussed, in the presence of Al-Anoud Al-Marzouqi, Director of the Industry Development Department at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Rohit Kumar, CEO of Siemens Advanta in the Middle East and India, Bruno Simões, Chief Marketing Officer at MT Group, Ali Al-Rawahi, Senior Vice President of Technology and Innovation at ADNOC, and Arno Castagne, Senior Vice President of Investor Relations. and strategic affairs at Skeleton Technologies.
The session discussed mechanisms for expanding the scope of artificial intelligence in industry and smart manufacturing and moving it from initial pilot projects to measurable industrial impact by enhancing data readiness, workforce capabilities, and cooperation in the integrated vital system.
Al-Anoud Al-Marzouqi stressed that the UAE and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are keen to empower all elements of the integrated system of industry and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while launching vital programs to accelerate these industries and enable them to keep pace with new, emerging and emerging technologies to enhance their growth and global expansion from the UAE. She pointed out that the Abu Dhabi Investment Office allocates comprehensive sectors for vital industries such as future mobility, food industries, and others, with a focus on partnerships that transfer technology and empower Emirati talent and competencies with the latest skills. required.
Ali Al Rawahi pointed out that artificial intelligence in the oil sector in the UAE has become a proactive priority to enhance current capabilities and future readiness, especially in the field of exploration, prospecting and production, including all operations to ensure workflow at its highest pace, pointing to the activation of proxy artificial intelligence opportunities in 23 sectors, which reflects positively on data accuracy, development of computing, and enhancing competitive advantage in operational and production processes.
Arno Castagné said that the UAE is one of the unique countries in the world in terms of its leadership in attracting industrial investments to develop an integrated future generation of future, smart and green technologies, with flexible legislative frameworks and a distinct value chain in a vital and qualitative system that supports strategic projects in various technology sectors and data centers.
Bruno Simoes stressed that the country represents an attractive destination for ambitious projects and big ideas in the field of energy that feed the uses of artificial intelligence in various vital sectors.
For his part, Rohit Kumar considered that the UAE will be the first in the race to overcome all obstacles and barriers to adopting the latest technologies during the next ten years, stressing that the UAE is capable of leading globally in this field from its position as a global laboratory for advanced technology.
The activities of the third day of Make in the UAE 2026 hosted a session that discussed transforming ideas into sustainable impact by activating the “Industrial Technological Transformation Index” of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in order to enable and accelerate fruitful and influential industrial transformations.
Speakers at the session discussed translating the insights and case studies of the Industrial Technology Transformation Index into practical results, with the participation of Maryam Ali Yousef Al Muhairi, Project Manager in the Advanced Technology Department at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Kiran Kumar, Group Director – Digital and Industrial Transformation Operations at EDGE Bridge.
Maryam Al Muhairi said: The main topic in 2026 is advanced manufacturing. It is very important for companies to pay attention to these technologies in light of a rapidly evolving landscape. The technologies are available, and companies should review the Industrial Technology Transformation Index guide and the distinct use cases it contains to know the areas in which they can adopt these technologies.”
Kiran Kumar said: As a national shareholder in the defense industry sector, our focus is clearly on three axes: first, self-sufficiency and sovereign capabilities; Second, flexibility and adaptability in the production value chain; Third, operational flexibility. These three factors drive all of our investments and manufacturing efforts.
Participants and visitors also witnessed a session on “Advanced Manufacturing in Mobility” that examined the topics of electric vehicle platforms, additive manufacturing, and autonomous systems, with the participation of Kiran Kumar, Group Director – Digital and Industrial Transformation Operations at EDGE, Jarvis Yan, Founder and CEO of Rox Motors, and Desmond Wheatley, CEO of Beam Global.
The session reviewed the capabilities of electricity, digital engineering, additive manufacturing, battery systems, digital twins, and autonomous systems in transforming global production of industrial solutions in the future mobility sector.
Jarvis Yan stressed that the incentive to establish and grow an advanced industry in the transportation sector in the UAE is that it is the ideal choice with the unparalleled infrastructure it provides, pointing out that Abu Dhabi is a vital center for attracting strategic investments that stimulate industrialization and support research and development in future technologies.
Desmond Wheatley said that there are 1.2 billion vehicles on the roads today, which requires the tremendous efforts of the Association to achieve electric transformation in the vehicle industry, pointing out that Abu Dhabi constitutes a gateway to markets in the African continent, which encourages the establishment of businesses interested in future technologies by taking advantage of the integrated vital environment that it provides.
Kiran Kumar pointed out the importance of integration between the various components of the industrial value chain, especially in the field of design and development of technology instead of just using it, considering that the UAE and the region are achieving qualitative results in indicators of demand for new technology.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Related
