Dubai to showcase innovative manufacturing ecosystem at 'Make it in Emirates'

The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) will showcase the city's dynamic manufacturing sector at 'Make it in the Emirates', scheduled to be held from May 19 to 22 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.

The forum brings together government entities, investors and manufacturers to advance the nation’s industrial and export ambitions.

The Dubai Pavilion will serve as a central platform that brings together the emirate’s key enablers of industrial growth, including Dubai Industrial City (DIC), National Industries Park (NIP), Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), Dubai Chambers, and Dubai South.

This strategic collaboration provides both existing manufacturers and prospective investors with direct access to comprehensive insights, resources, and opportunities, empowering them to explore and capitalise on the competitive advantages that Dubai offers to modern industrial enterprises.

The emirate has successfully attracted new investment into manufacturing. In the first nine months of 2024, the manufacturing sector in Dubai recorded a GDP of AED28.3 billion.

DET will showcase how Dubai’s unified industrial landscape provides manufacturers with integrated access to world-class infrastructure, business incentives, and export support. Today, Dubai-based manufacturers supply critical goods to the UAE government and export to more than 130 countries, capitalising on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) to access high-growth markets competitively.

"Dubai’s manufacturing sector is gaining momentum because we have built the fundamentals for sustained industrial growth, competitive infrastructure, smart regulation, and access to global markets. What we are seeing today is the result of long-term planning, public-private collaboration, and a clear ambition under our wise leadership and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33," said Hadi Badri, CEO of the Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC).

"This is a market where manufacturers can innovate, scale, and export with confidence."

As part of its participation, DET will present a range of initiatives driving Dubai’s industrial growth, including the Export Assistance Programme (EAP), which encourages Dubai-based companies to pursue export promotion activities in foreign markets, offering support to qualifying small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through a network of international offices.

DET will also highlight the Elite Buyer Programme, which supports Dubai’s strategy to position Dubai as a leading global sourcing hub for high-demand products in fast-growing consumer markets. The pavilion will additionally highlight the Industry Friendly Power Policy that Dubai has introduced as part of the D33 Agenda, aimed at promoting green and cost-efficient energy use across the manufacturing, data centre, and agri-tech sectors. The policy offers incentives such as a 25 per ent reduction in connection charges, interest-free credit, and support for 100 per cent onsite renewable generation, aligning with the emirate’s net-zero goals.

In 2024, Dubai attracted AED52.3 billion ($14.2 billion) in FDI, a 33.2 per cent increase from the previous year, marking the highest FDI value ever recorded in a single year. Dubai also saw a record 1,117 Greenfield FDI projects and 1,826 announced FDI projects, creating 58,680 jobs.

Manufacturing continued its strong momentum with AED5,767 million ($1,571.4 million) in FDI capital, up from AED2,411 million ($657.1 million) compared to 2023.