UAE unveils Dhs180bn in industrial opportunities as Dr Sultan Al Jaber highlights resilience
The announcement raises the value of industrial procurement opportunities under the programme from Dhs168bn to Dhs180bn over the next decade
05 May, 2026
TT
16
The UAE unveiled Dhs180bn ($49bn) in new industrial procurement opportunities on Monday as it sought to deepen local manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports, with officials framing industrial expansion as central to economic resilience amid regional instability.
Speaking at the opening of the fifth edition of Make it in the Emirates, Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said the new opportunities would support efforts to localise more than 5,000 products across sectors tied to economic, food and healthcare security, reported state news agency, WAM.
The announcement raises the value of industrial procurement opportunities under the programme from Dhs168bn to Dhs180bn over the next decade.
The event comes after what Dr Al Jaber described as a challenging three-month period for the region, as conflict and disruptions to trade routes have heightened concerns over supply chains and economic security.
“Economic security cannot be imported, it must be built and protected,” Dr Al Jaber said, adding that disruptions to strategic maritime corridors posed risks to the global economy.
Referring to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes, Dr Al Jaber said freedom of navigation was “non-negotiable” and warned against any disruption to international waterways.
OPEC and OPEC+ exit
Al Jaber also said the UAE was repositioning itself in global energy markets and referred to what he described as the country’s decision to exit OPEC and OPEC+ as a strategic move aligned with its long-term economic goals, WAM reported.
“It is a carefully considered strategic decision and is not directed against anyone, any country, or institution,” Al Jaber said. “It serves our national interests and long-term strategic objectives, aligns with our industrial, economic, and developmental ambitions, and gives us greater ability to accelerate investment, expand, and create value.”
UAE’s industrial sector major contributor to economy
The UAE’s industrial sector contributed Dhs200bn to the economy, up 70 per cent since 2021, while industrial exports reached Dhs262bn, including Dhs92bn in advanced industrial exports, Dr Al Jaber said.
He credited growth partly to the National In-Country Value Program, which aims to channel spending into local manufacturing and job creation, WAM reported.
The announcement follows ADNOC’s separate “Make it with ADNOC” forum, where the state oil company announced more than Dhs200bn in project awards over the next two years and launched its Local+ initiative to connect contractors with Emirati manufacturers.
Al Jaber also said the UAE was accelerating the use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing, describing AI as an “industrial brain” that would improve efficiency and decision-making across factories.
He said the country was positioning itself as a global manufacturing and investment hub by combining energy resources, technology and industrial capacity.
“The economies of the future will be built on three foundations: energy that powers, technology that thinks, and industry that produces,” Dr Al Jaber said.
























