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Sharjah / WAM
German investors received a crash course in the investment opportunities abounding in Sharjah’s emerging industries at a high-profile business webinar organised by the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), which operates under the Sharjah
Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq).
Highlighting Sharjah’s advantages in providing an impressive growth and expansion platform for German companies in a wide range of sectors, the webinar hosted a number of German businessmen and entrepreneurs who were introduced to the fast-growing business opportunities in the key emerging sectors of e-commerce, health-tech, edu-tech, cybersecurity, fintech, smart logistics, industry 4.0, artificial intelligence and cleantech, among many others.
Prominent speakers at the business webinar included UAE Ambassador to Germany, Hafsa Abdullah Mohammed Al Ulama; Holger Mahnicke, Consul General of the German Consulate in Dubai; Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman of Shurooq; Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of Sharjah Research Technology and innovation Park (SRTIP); Dr Abdulaziz Al Muhairi, Director General of Sharjah Health Authority; Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah); Abdulaziz Shattaf, Assistant Director General of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Ammar Alul, Managing Director, Schüco Middle East Windows & Facade Systems LLC. The session was moderated by Oliver Oehms, CEO of German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce (AHK).
Hafsa Abdullah Mohammed Al Ulama kickstarted the virtual seminar observing the nation’s strong relations with Germany in all fields, especially in economy. “The UAE is not only the No.1 trade partner for Germany in the Arab world, we also have converging visions when it comes to doing business. Just a few weeks back, Mubadala signed a deal with Siemens Energy to accelerate green hydrogen capabilities in Abu Dhabi. Innovation, climate change and sustainability are all areas which both nations are focused on. So, convergence of interests in these areas will not only be beneficial for both countries, but also to the world at large.”
“Sharjah occupies a very special place in the UAE. It is not only the centre of heritage and culture, but also occupies a unique position, accessible from both Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, has a very active economy fueled by many freezones and logistics and amazing tourism initiatives. Argi-tech holds a lot of business potential. We, at the UAE embassy in Berlin, are willing to help German investors looking to invest in Sharjah, and help connect and facilitate partnerships with their UAE counterparts.”
In his keynote address, Holger Mahnicke, said: “We in Germany tend to associate Sharjah with cultural relations, not the least because of SAWA Museum Academy, a joint initiative with the Sharjah Museum’s Authority. However, our relationship encompasses many other spheres. There is a longstanding cooperation between the University of Sharjah and the University of Lubeck in the field of medical education. We can scale up the cooperation in the area of healthcare and service which might offer investment opportunities. There are certainly many more areas of potential.”
Welcoming delegates to the virtual roundtable, Marwan bin Jasim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment
and Development Authority (Shurooq), emphasised that Germany was UAE’s fourth largest non-oil trading partner, with a trade volume of AED 44.7 billion up to June 2020, stating that the UAE hosts over 900 German companies across a range of sectors, of which more than 346 operate from Sharjah.