UAE commits $49bn to local manufacturers

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) pledged $49 billion in industrial procurement opportunities on Monday and announced plans to localize more than 5,000 products as the Gulf state doubled down on its industrial sovereignty agenda.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, made the announcement at the opening of the fifth edition of Make it in the Emirates, which follows a period that has tested the region.

“History remembers the challenges nations face. But it also remembers how nations respond to them and what they build next,” he said.

TA’ZIZ announced $40.5 billion worth of agreements aimed at expanding UAE chemical production capacity. The opportunities include offtakes and $2 billion of financing for the UAE’s first world-scale methanol plant.

A $270 million National Industrial Resilience Fund (NIRF) was also launched, which will create 4,000 jobs and eventually substitute up to $24.5 billion industrial imports ($820 million a year). On Sunday, ADNOC unveiled $54.4 billion in procurement opportunities and planned projects.

Billions more in deals and investments are expected throughout the week.

Dr. Al Jaber described the UAE’s departure from OPEC and OPEC+ as “a carefully considered strategic decision” aligned with the country's long-term economic ambitions.

“It is not directed against anyone,” he said, adding that the decision “gives us greater ability to accelerate investment, expand, and create value.”

Dr. Al Jaber said the UAE’s industrial sector contribution has reached $54.5 billion, a 70% increase on 2021, while industrial exports climbed to $71.4 billion — including $25.1 billion in advanced industrial exports.

The new $49 billion offtake commitment is to be deployed over the next decade and targets sectors critical to economic, food, and healthcare security.

“Economic security cannot be imported — it must be built and protected,” Dr. Al Jaber said.

Dr. Al Jaber added: “When a vital artery such as the Strait of Hormuz is closed, it does not only affect one region – it affects the entire global economy.”

“Freedom of international navigation is non-negotiable and cannot be compromised.”

Addressing international investors directly, Dr. Al Jaber positioned the UAE as a global manufacturing platform — citing flexible regulation, advanced logistics, and connectivity to international markets.