The Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSCD) has announced a 51.3 per cent rise in business licences issued in the emirate of Sharjah for the third quarter of 2020 over the previous quarter.

A total of 17,344 business licences were issued from July-September compared to only 8,900 licences from April to June.

Commenting on the resurgence in business activities in the third quarter, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of DSCD, emphasised that the high growth figures indicated a renewed confidence in the vital economic sectors of the emirate that had been impacted following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The optimistic outlook was reflected throughout the emirate as 13,735 licences were issued in Sharjah city, 2,081 licenses in the emirate’s central region and 1,528 licenses in the eastern region.

Commercial licences topped the total number of permits issued in the third quarter of 2020 taking the lion’s share of 62.9 per cent with 10,912 new permits. With 5,519 permits, professional licences came second with a 31.8 per cent share.

In the same period, 643 industrial licences (3.7 per cent), 218 Etemad licenses (1.3 per cent) and 52 e-commerce licenses(0.3 per cent) were issued.

An analysis of DSCD’s index further reveals that in the third quarter of 2020, the emirate issued licences for 4,254 private shareholding companies, 4,551 limited liability companies, 441 professional business companies, and 131 sole proprietorship companies. The remainder of the permits were registered as company solidarities, public shareholding, service agent as well as local, GCC and foreign branch companies.

The total number of business licenses issued in Sharjah in the first quarter of 2020 from January to March stood at 1,467, of which commercial licences comprised of 63.7 per cent of the total followed by professional licences at 31.7 per cent.

Meanwhile the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), welcomed a high-profile delegation of Central America ambassadors to the UAE to explore means of enhancing economic cooperation and trade exchange relations and enhance joint investment with the Emirate of Sharjah.

Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman, SCCI, received the delegation, which included Francisco Chacon, Ambassador of the Republic of Costa Rica, Julio Castaños, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic, Lars Pera, Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala, and Ricardo Lavery, Ambassador of the Republic of Panama.

Present at the meeting were Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director General of the SCCI, and a number of department directors in the Chamber.

While welcoming the visiting delegation, Abdullah Sultan Al Owais touched on the constructive bilateral relations between the Emirate of Sharjah and the countries of Central America and means of advancing these relations through innovative initiatives conducive to further cooperation and commercial and investment partnerships.

Al Owais said,“The Chamber is keen to strengthen its presence in the vital and emerging markets that provide opportunities for growth and expansion for its partners from the business community and private sector companies in Sharjah.”

Al Owais stressed that Central American countries are full of investment opportunities, especially in the services sector, logistical, financial, agricultural fields, not to mention the Panama Canal, the strategic international waterway which provides unlimited opportunities for various sectors in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The ambassadors stressed the importance of enhancing the prospects for investment cooperation and encouraging joint work with the UAE and the Emirate of Sharjah.

They also underlined that Sharjah is an important partner in promoting trade and investments, enhancing cultural and educational exchanges and exchanging best practices in the fields of innovation techniques, enhancing food security and many areas of common interest, calling the Chamber to organise trade missions to gain new insights about investment opportunities in Central American countries, especially in the agricultural, coffee, timber, industry and tourism fields. Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi shed light on the investment opportunities available in the Emirate of Sharjah and the attractive incentives provided to businessmen and investors who take advantage of the leading position of the emirate as a global business destination regionally and globally.

The visit ended with exchanging accolades and shields, followed by a tour to the permanent exhibition of locally manufactured products, where the visiting delegation was briefed on a wide range of products that are locally manufactured by more than 180 firms and exhibited through 191 stands.

Federation of UAE Chambers: Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chairman of the Federation of the UAE Chambers, has received Dionyssios Zois, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the UAE, at the Chamber’s tower in Abu Dhabi, to discuss ways to further develop joint economic cooperation and serving the business communities in both the UAE and Greece.

Al Rumaithi praised the mutual and ever-evolving relationship between the UAE and Greece, especially considering the strong political and economic representation between both countries.

For his part, Abassador Zois highlighted his country’s interest in boosting the economic cooperation on all levels, which would increase the rates of trade exchange between the two countries.

He also praised the efforts of the Federation of the UAE Chambers in pushing the wheel of trade and investment cooperation between the two countries forward with the aim of realising the joint objectives of the UAE and Greece.

Separately, Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi has received Nova Iriansyah, Governor of Aceh Province, Indonesia, and the accompanying delegation at the Chamber’s tower in Abu Dhabi.

Mohamed Helal Al Mheiri, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, and his Deputy Abdullah Ghurair Al Qubaisi attended the meeting.

During the meeting, both sides discussed the economic cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Aceh province, highlighting the importance of promoting joint cooperation and strengthening trade relations between both sides. They also discussed the available investment opportunities in key strategic sectors in Indonesia in general and Aceh Province in particular.

Al Rumaithi stressed the Abu Dhabi Chamber’s keenness to boost cooperation with Indonesia and to provide the facilities necessary to strengthen the trade and investment relations between the two sides.

He also shed light on the importance of forming partnerships and holding pivotal projects in key sectors as well as to attract investors and introduce them to the most promising investment climate, especially in the sectors of agriculture, wood industries, tourism and renewable energy.