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Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) explored new strategies for cooperation between government and private sectors at the “Ramadan Majlis” evening organised by Shurooq in association with Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), on Monday July 20th 2016, at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in Sharjah.
Hosting an elite group of high-profile executives from the UAE’s economic sector, the activity saw participants discussing ways of strengthening cooperation between the government and private sectors and analysed the crucial role that collaboration plays in the advancement of all aspects of society.
The evening saw a large turnout of economy experts from the UAE, with participants including H.E. Eng. Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdelaziz Al Shehi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for economic affairs, H.E. Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade and Industry, H.E. Fahad Obaid Al Taffaq, Director of Economic Affairs and International Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, H.E. Khalid Butti Bin Obaid Al Hajri, Director General, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), H.E. Faisal Ahmed Al Nuaimi, Director General, Ajman Department of Toursim Development, H.E. Abdullah Sultan Alfan Alshamsi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Industrial Affairs at the Ministry of Economy, H.E. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO at AUS Enterprises, Eng. Sulaiman Al Hajri, Director of Roads and Transport Authority in Sharjah, H.E. T.P. Seetharm, Ambassador of India to UAE, Sudesh K. Aggarwal, Chairman at the India Trade and Exhibition Centre M.E. (ITEC m.e.), David Wang, CEO of Huawei UAE and other high-level executives from the private sector and diplomatic guests from international consulates and embassies.
The “Ramadan Majlis” was moderated by Mohammed Khalaf, Director of Sharjah TV and Radio, who engaged attendees on a number of topics during the evening, most notably the importance of bringing the government and private sectors together. The subjects addressed included scientific ways to facilitate effective processes to nurture the government-private partnership sector, and explored how integration between the two sectors helps to reduce unemployment and increase growth rates. The event also shed light on the significant role that joint cooperation between the government and private sectors plays in achieving sustainable development and establishing a business-friendly environment.
H.E. Eng. Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdelaziz Al Shehi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for economic affairs, kicked off the evening’s discussion highlighting UAE’s 2021 vision being parallel with Shurooq’s initiatives in building strong business bridges between the government and private sector. He also highlighted the key role this initiative plays in identifying and addressing multiple challenges faced by both parties.
H.E. Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade and Industry, defined the public-private sectors relationship as a true catalyst for economic growth and excellence in economic diversification, as well as provides a positive drive for FDI and local investments across the UAE. He also explained the key is to establish a support-based business environment where both parties are receiving positive financial and networking provisions in order to achieve a more unified business goal.
Speaking on behalf of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Khalid Bin Butti Al Hajri, Director General at SCCI explained: “Our strategy behind partnering on this event with Shurooq is to bring together our elite partners and friends who have contributed to Sharjah and the UAE’s economy, and to explore ways to improve relationships between the government and public sector.”
He added: “The SCCI has been working closely with the Sharjah Government and has already begun implementing certain laws that provide positive advantages for private companies dealing with investments, trade and/or industrial works. There is a growing trend in Sharjah’s public sector where studying and establishing new laws to support the private sector is continuously addressing many economic trends and is sustaining the economic diversification and business innovation which the emirate is continuously developing.”
Speaking on behalf of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), H.E. Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal said: “Shurooq partnered with the SCCI for this unique “Ramadan Majlis” because we believe in the importance of building and developing strong relationships between the public and private sectors. Cooperation plays an essential role in the advancement of economic development and in achieving its desired objectives, which includes deploying resources in a way that affects growth rates positively and improves the living standards of all segments of society.”
On the reciprocal relationship between the government and private sectors, Al Sarkal said; “The private sector cannot be strong without a strong government sector and vice versa. The relationship which binds the two is a complementary one and the more this relationship is built on solid foundations defined by clear goals and objectives, the more Sharjah and the UAE will be able to attract investment and achieve sustainable growth.”
Al Sarkal added: “Since Shurooq’s establishment in 2009, we’ve carefully studied and implemented economic strategies that drive business excellence to new levels in Sharjah’s economy. We saw integration as one of the key factors that not only unite ideologies and business goals, but also unite business growths between both private and government sectors. Through the “Ramadan Majlis” we were able to formulate these new integration strategies to our local markets, derived from suggestions and expertise of economic ministers, ambassadors, consulate generals and many high-level executives from the government and private sector.”
Speaking on the Sharjah advantage behind integrating businesses among government and private sectors, H.E. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO at AUS Enterprises, explained: “One of the most strategic values and practices is to continuously study and research economic trends as well as integrate the findings with the demand from the private sector. These practices illustrate many common objectives and goals from companies in the private sector and entities from the government sector, thus bringing them closer together in working towards a unified business excellence.”
H.E. T.P. Seetharm, Ambassador of India to UAE, greeted all the attendees at the event and commemorated the UAE for its dynamic role in attracting multiple businesses from India, and all around the world. He also expressed the positive path which the UAE is undertaking by the implementation of new initiatives by multiple UAE government bodies to facilitate and attract new investment opportunities for their private sectors.
H.E. Fahad Obaid Al Taffaq, Director of Economic Affairs and International Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, explained: “The UAE has continuously pursued in creating channels that, not only establish direct communications between government and private companies, but also protect investments to ensure security and confidence among all our investors and business owners. Our legislations and regulations are a reflection of this initiative, and we continuously study new trends in order to meet the demands and requirements of international and local businesses.”
The “Ramadan Majlis” hosted key high-level speakers among the distinguished attendees, who also raised a number of core challenges, strategies, advantages and new laws that enhances relationships between the public and private sectors. Some of those speakers included, H.E. Fahad Obaid Al Taffaq, Director of Economic Affairs and International Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, H.E. Faisal Ahmed Al Nuaimi, Director General, Ajman Department of Toursim Development, H.E. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO at AUS Enterprises, Sudesh K. Aggarwal, Chairman at the India Trade and Exhibition Centre M.E. (ITEC m.e.), Ahmed Ali Al Sarkal, Managing Partner at Flag Holding and David Wang, CEO of Huawei UAE.
Discussions during the event also shed light to the opportunities of creating an ideal application model in which the partnership between the two sectors can flourish. One of the proposed models focused on voluntary initiatives, which depends on simple and non-complicated norms and relationships, where the second involving mandatory legislation to ensure the establishing and implementation of projects that contribute to the development of the economy. Speakers and experts at the event also analysed the current partnership which connects the two sectors in the UAE and whether it meets the desired level of ambition, as well as explored the best ways to enhance the prospects of that partnership in the future for mutual benefit.
Speakers and business owners agreed that forging the partnership between the public and private sectors and integrating it further would contribute significantly to achieving positive results for the UAE’s economy. They concurred that improving the relationship between the sectors would lead to the launching of investment projects which would contribute to creating job opportunities in local markets.
The “Ramadan Majlis” was concluded with a raffle draw multiple attendees walked away with a new Huawei smart phone.
(Press Release)
