The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has received two separate delegations from the Comoros and South Africa, asserting its commitment to bolstering international cooperation and partnerships.

The delegations led by Dr Mohamed Moumini Soidiki, Consul General of Comoros in the UAE, and Andrew Tsepo Lebona, Consul General of South Africa in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, were received by Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Other prominent attendees included Abdulaziz Mohammed Shattaf, Assistant Director-General of the Communication and Business Sector at the Sharjah Chamber; Jamal Saeed Buzangal, Director of the Media Department; and Fatima Khalifa Al-Muqarrab, Director of the SCCI’s International Relations Department.

The chamber urged its members and the broader business community to leverage the strong relations between the Emirate of Sharjah and various diplomatic and trade entities across the country to broaden their operations, unlock viable investment prospects, and explore fresh markets for their products.

The two meetings centered around fortifying the existing ties between the Emirate of Sharjah, South Africa, and the Comoros and exploring potential areas of collaboration to bolster economic ties.

Participants emphasized the need for future coordination to enhance areas of support for businesspeople interested in investing in a diverse array of vital sectors, including infrastructure, transport, agriculture and animal production, healthcare, education, entrepreneurship, innovation, information technology, waste recycling, and others.

Moreover, attendees underscored the significance of launching joint programs and events to acquaint the business community with the available and promising investment opportunities each side presents.

During discussions with representatives from South Africa and Comoros, HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais shed light on the chamber’s extensive range of services and facilities available to its private sector members. He stressed that the Chamber is on standby and fully committed to assisting and supporting companies and institutions from around the world intending to invest in the Emirate.

He encouraged such entities to leverage the promising prospects within the Emirate to forge new business alliances across all economic sectors, thereby promoting the sustainability of their businesses.

Al Owais underscored that Sharjah’s economy possesses substantial resilience and potential for growth across several vital investment sectors. Thanks to the diversity and symbiosis achieved by the Emirate’s economy, a multitude of opportunities are available for investors to bolster their businesses and secure their sustainability. This robust investment landscape is buttressed by state-of-the-art infrastructure, a thriving economic environment, sustained government spending, and unique free zones and industrial zones that further spur foreign direct investment.

For his part, Mohamed Moumini Soidiki lauded the instrumental role the Sharjah Chamber has played in fostering bilateral relations across all spheres. He emphasized Comoros’ keenness to capitalize on the successful practices and the high caliber of Sharjah’s local industries. He highlighted that the UAE stands as a crucial partner in facilitating the development and expansion of essential services in Comoros, given its significant contribution through projects implemented across various fields.

Meanwhile, HE Andrew Tsepo Lebona expressed gratitude towards the SCCI’s proactive approach to facilitate all available avenues to enrich economic cooperation with South Africa. He commended the SCCI’s commitment to fostering economic ties with countries across the African continent and particularly with South Africa.

Lebona reaffirmed the South African consulate’s steadfast commitment to maintaining coordination and fostering continual collaboration with the Sharjah Chamber to improve trade and investment exchanges between the two nations and encourage the business community to intensify their efforts in forming strategic partnerships that are fruitful and meet the interests of both countries

It is worth mentioning that non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and South Africa totaled $6.5 billion last year, marking a growth of 9.3% compared to 2021 and an impressive increase of 42.9% and 66.9% compared to 2020 and 2019, respectively. South Africa is the UAE’s second-largest trading partner in Africa, contributing 8% of the UAE’s total non-oil trade with the continent. Furthermore, among the non-Arab nations located on the continent, South Africa holds the position of being the UAE’s primary African trading partner.