Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

The Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) has announced the dates of the sixth edition of its annual flagship event, Sharjah Investment Forum, which will take place on February 14 – 15 at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in Sharjah.

Formerly known as Sharjah FDI Forum, the Sharjah Investment Forum will bring together regional and global leaders in business and economy, including CEOs, CIOs, economists, financial experts, digital technology experts and investment consultants to discuss and debate the latest realities and developments in the regional and global investment arena that has weathered a range of unprecedented changes in the recent past.

The 2022 edition of the forum will bring to the fore interesting issues related to the global investment environment, economic changes affecting FDIs and technological advances that are impacting businesses and human capital. The packed discussion agenda includes topics like Fintech, smart cities, and the role of startups in economic development.

Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of Invest in Sharjah, said: “The key outcomes and recommendations of previous editions have boosted the forum’s appeal as the region’s most sought after thought-leadership platform for responsible investment and sustainable development. For five years we have been bringing together top government officials, economists and FDI stalwarts from around the world to educate the UAE’s and global business and investments communities, share expertise, make key announcements and demystify latest economic trends with an emphasis on the sectors that lead the local and regional investment landscape.”

He added: “The 6th edition will offer a candid recap of Sharjah’s accumulated experiences over the past two years that required businesses and investors to pivot, adapt and make bold decisions. The event will also highlight new and emerging investment opportunities in the UAE and Sharjah.”

“Sharjah demonstrated its economic resilience by announcing generous stimulus packages for businesses across the emirate and is working to redefine its central and eastern regions through mega development project. The renaming of our forum has been done in a similar spirit and will promote our goal to highlight the investment opportunities in the emirate’s growing sectors, and the importance of investing in local capital to stimulate Sharjah’s economy,” he further added commenting on the commenting on the renaming of the forum.

According to Sharjah Economic Development Department, the emirate witnessed remarkable growth in the first quarter of this year, with a 12 per cent increase in the number of issued and renewed licenses compared to the same period last year. In 2020, the emirate attracted 24 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth $220 million which led to the creation of more than 1,100 job opportunities, as per a Wavteq study on Sharjah’s FDI annual performance.

The Sharjah Investment Forum was established in 2015 to provide the global community an invaluable opportunity to examine prospects of investment in the UAE in general and in Sharjah in particular, with a strong focus on the emirate’s key economic sectors through a comprehensive programme of keynote addresses, industry-led discussion panels and presentations from top officials.