The UAE attracts $33 billion in foreign direct investments in “industry”

The Minister of Investment, Mohammed Hassan Al Suwaidi, said that between 2015 and 2024, the UAE attracted about 251 foreign direct investment projects in the industrial sector, with total capital commitments amounting to about 33 billion dollars, which contributed to the provision of more than 38 thousand job opportunities, which reflects the growing confidence of investors in the industrial components of the country.

Al Suwaidi added, in statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), on the sidelines of the “Make in the UAE 2026” activities, that the manufacturing sector has become the fifth largest sector attracting foreign direct investment, at 7% of the total investment balance in the country, and is considered one of the sectors most attracting foreign investment, and a pivotal element in implementing the goals of the “National Investment Strategy 2031.”

He explained that the United States topped the source countries with 22.6% of the total number of industrial projects in the country between 2015 and 2024, followed by the United Kingdom with 10.1%, India with 9.8%, Germany with 8.1%, and China with 5.7%, while Western Europe constituted the main regional source with a share of 37.8% of the total projects, which reflects the attractiveness of the country’s industrial environment for developed and emerging markets.

Al Suwaidi stressed that the UAE continues to build on this momentum within the framework of the “300 Billion Project,” which aims to raise the industrial sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product to 300 billion dirhams by 2031, thus enhancing the country’s position as a global destination for industrial investment.

He said that the Ministry of Investment, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, launched a white paper on the industrial sector during the “Make in the UAE” activities, with the aim of providing an in-depth analysis of the path of transformation of the industrial landscape in the country into one of the most advanced and innovative industrial systems, and attractive for investment globally.

He added that the paper stems from the importance of providing an integrated analytical vision that helps the international investor understand the UAE industrial system, its components and its strategic goals, in light of the global transformations that are redrawing the maps of production and supply chains.

Al Suwaidi pointed out that the industrial scene in the UAE is characterized by a focus on technology, innovation and high-value production, while attracting international capital to the advanced manufacturing sector represents a pivotal element in the long-term economic vision and is considered one of the priority sectors within the “National Investment Strategy 2031.”

Regarding the “Atlas” platform, Al Suwaidi explained that it was designed to provide immediate and comprehensive access to the investment scene in the country, through advanced and easy-to-use digital tools, which contributes to enabling investors to identify and accurately evaluate investment opportunities.

He said that the launch of the platform during “Make in the UAE” reflects the Ministry of Investment’s orientation towards employing advanced technologies to enhance the efficiency of investment decision-making and consolidate the country’s position as a global destination for investment.

He added that the platform provides investors with an interactive map and advanced analysis tools, which allow reviewing investment projects, applying filtering options according to country of origin, type of project, or free zone, and preparing customized reports by country or sector, which helps identify investment trends and discover promising clusters in the various emirates of the country.

He stressed that the UAE offers the industrial investor an integrated system of incentives and benefits, including 100% foreign ownership in most industrial sectors, a competitive tax system, and rapid licensing and establishment procedures, in addition to more than 40 specialized free zones that provide customs exemptions and complete freedom to transfer profits.

He pointed out that this system also includes an advanced logistical infrastructure that connects manufacturers to two-thirds of the world’s population within an eight-hour flight time, through 12 commercial ports and an airport network connected to more than 250 direct international destinations, in addition to the golden and green visa programs that support attracting specialized talent in advanced manufacturing, engineering, research and development.

He pointed out that the “Technological Transformation Program” aims to develop 1,000 advanced technological projects by 2031, with investments amounting to 11 billion dirhams, with expectations that these projects will contribute about 110 billion dirhams to the domestic product, and export Emirati technological products worth 15 billion dirhams annually.