The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) is a non-profit public organization whose mission is to support and protect the interests of the business community in Sharjah.
Founded in 1970, the chamber aims to effectively and vitally participate in the organization of economic life and the prosperity of its trade, industry, and professional sectors on all levels, in cooperation with the concerned establishments, bodies, and local departments.
SCCI Goals
The chamber seeks to achieve several goals, including but not limited to:
- Supporting the business sector and enhancing its positive practices to achieve a sustainable economy.
- Developing and diversifying the emirate’s exports.
- Managing strategic partnerships to develop foreign trade exchange and attract investments.
- Enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of economic studies to serve members’ and investors’ interests.
- Developing a supportive environment that allows the growth and prosperity of entrepreneurship and SMEs.
- Developing corporate excellence and optimum investment of the Chamber’s talents and resources.
- Creating a supportive legislative environment for the business community in the emirate.
- Contributing to the development of infrastructure projects and diversification of investments.
Our services
The chamber offers a wide range of online services that meet the growing needs of customers, including:
- New Membership. Membership Registration & Renewal.
- Certificates Of Origin.
- Membership Cancellation.
- Registration Fee Calculator.
- Legal E-Services.
- Certificate of Origin Verification.
SCCI Initiatives:
- Sectoral Business Group: The SCCI launched the Sectoral Business Group to monitor and analyze the reality of economic sectors, identify challenges, launch effective solutions to address them and seize opportunities through cooperation and coordination with concerned authorities.
- Business Councils: The SCCI launched the business councils initiative to enhance mutual cooperation with other business councils, increase trade and investment volume, inform Sharjah’s business community about the available opportunities in the UAE and abroad, etc.
- Sharjah Exports Development Center: The center aims to provide an ideal environment that supports and develops domestic Sharjah exports.
- Business point: SCCI provides meeting halls that offer the elegance and flexibility required to host special events, conferences, honoring ceremonies, corporate meetings, training courses, lectures, and provide a good platform for launching government projects.
- Sharjah Excellence Award: The SCCI launched this award to promote a culture of quality, excellence and innovation in all institutions in the business sector in the emirate and beyond, support initiatives and practices that grow organizational excellence in Sharjah, and improve the results and outputs of economic projects in Sharjah.
- TIJARAH 101: This initiative was designed to offer: a- necessary support and motivation to help entrepreneurs achieve success/b- legal and administrative advice/ c-training programs/d- incentive awards.
Other initiatives also include:
- The Permanent Exhibition
- Our Promotions
- Business Breakfast
- CSR Initiatives
- Seventy Fitness & Spa Lounge
- My Little Chamber
Most promising sector for FDI
Sharjah is the Middle East’s best kept secret: an emirate where universities, entrepreneurs and government bodies collaborate to create a vibrant home for SMEs and global businesses alike.
With a steadily rising GDP, a highly-diversified economy and a growing population of highly educated, ambitious and outward-looking young people, Sharjah is well placed for long term investment returns and access to global markets and skilled talent.
Sharjah is widely recognised as the cultural capital, industrial hub and education hotspot of the UAE, and is now becoming increasingly well-known for its pioneering sustainability initiatives and as a world-class R&D, innovation and startup hub. With exceptional support provided by the government, lower costs than neighbouring emirates, and a culture of innovation, the city is an ideal choice for multinationals seeking a base in the Middle East.
Centrally located between Europe and East Asia, and with convenient access to major international airports and ports on both the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean, Sharjah is a strategic investment destination for global companies looking to explore emerging markets.
Sharjah has competitive advantages and investor-friendly environment and enjoys rapidly growing business sectors such as food security, technology and innovation, tourism and culture, water resource management, energy and renewable energy, and education. Healthcare, transport & logistics, agritech and fintech are also among key sectors that will drive next generation of foreign direct investments in Sharjah.
- CULTURE & TOURISM
Sharjah’s cultural offerings, thriving art scene and UNESCO Heritage sites have long-attracted visitors from around the world. Recent major investments in infrastructure and large-scale tourism destinations around the emirate’s open deserts, mountains, beaches and natural reserves have seen Sharjah- dubbed the UAE’s culture capital- transform into a popular hot spot for adventure and eco-tourism, particularly in the rapidly-growing eastern and central regions, generating tremendous opportunities for hospitality, leisure, entertainment, food and beverage, retail, and other travel-related offering.
- MOBILITY & LOGISTICS
Nestled between the rapidly-growing northern emirates and the global financial hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and strategically located at the heart of global trade with three seaports, an international airport, and six free zones, Sharjah serves as the UAE’s industrial hub and gateway to the world’s fastest growing markets across Asia, Africa and Europe. As the only emirate with ports on both the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean, Sharjah offers the shortest maritime journey between the GCC and Asia and unparalleled access to the rest of the UAE and beyond.
- HEALTH & WELLBEING
With its world-class infrastructure and robust network of university hospitals, R&D centres and private clinics, Sharjah is uniquely placed to become a leading healthcare capital in the Middle East. Major government initiatives such as Sharjah Healthcare City are creating new opportunities for growth while ensuring extremely low barriers to entry for healthcare providers. A rapidly-growing and predominantly young demographic have fuelled demand for the development of medical and wellness products and services across the healthcare value chain.
- GREENTECH
Sharjah is on track to reach a ‘zero waste-to-landfill’ target by 2022. With strong government support for green initiatives and ground-breaking projects like Sharjah Sustainable City- the first net zero energy community in Sharjah- and state-of-the-art waste-to-energy projects, sustainability and waste management are at the heart of the emirate’s development. Innovation-led policies have produced an ecosystem that is especially welcoming of sustainability and clean-tech start-ups with tremendous opportunities for research and development, commercialization, and public-private partnerships.
- HUMAN CAPITAL & INNOVATION
A regional hub for higher education, Sharjah- home to one of the world’s largest university cities- has long-been recognized as the education hotspot of the UAE and a major centre for research and development. With a strong government commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship, the emirate has developed a world-class innovation ecosystem leveraging University City’s rich pool of talent, research and technology-focused free zones, incubators, accelerators, makerspaces, and additive manufacturing facilities which is now home to a thriving startup scene and pilot projects with technology giants from around the world.
- ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
The manufacturing sector is the second-highest contributor to Sharjah’s GDP and accounts for one third of the UAE’s manufacturing output. Sharjah is widely recognized as the industrial hub of the nation, particularly owing to its six free zones and 33 industrial zones which are strategically located near major air and sea ports. The emirate has long been a leader in light manufacturing and has recently emerged as a hotbed for advanced manufacturing utilizing next-generation technologies such as robotics, AI, and 3D printing for the production of products including drones, mega yachts, and construction equipment.
- AGRI-FOOD TECHNOLOGY
The UAE’s Food Security Strategy aims to position the UAE as a world-leading hub for innovation-driven food security and amongst the most food-secure countries in the world. With a deep culture in research and innovation, dedicated Food Park to bring food to market, and world-class Research Technology and Innovation Park, Sharjah is home to many Agritech companies, startups, and pilot projects. Sharjah is in an advantageous geographic position with coasts on both sides of the country. It is the industrial hub of the UAE, and has lower operating costs than some neighboring emirates.