The UAE has announced AED 180 billion in new industrial procurement opportunities, signalling a bold push to localise over 5,000 products across sectors critical to economic, food and healthcare security.
Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, made the announcement at the opening of the fifth and largest edition of Make it in the Emirates in Abu Dhabi — the UAE's flagship industrial platform. The forum comes on the heels of the Make it with ADNOC event, which unveiled over AED 200 billion in planned projects and procurement opportunities over the next two years.
Speaking against the backdrop of recent regional tensions, Dr Al Jaber said the UAE has consistently turned challenges into opportunities.
"History remembers the challenges nations face. But it also remembers how nations respond to them and what they build next,"
he said.
The industrial sector's contribution to the national economy has reached AED 200 billion — a 70 percent increase since 2021 — while industrial exports climbed to AED 262 billion, including AED 92 billion in advanced industrial exports. Dr Al Jaber credited the National In-Country Value Program as a key driver, channelling spending into domestic factories, talent and long-term investment.
On energy, Dr Al Jaber described the UAE's exit from OPEC and OPEC+ as a carefully considered strategic move aligned with the country's long-term economic ambitions, stressing the UAE will remain a responsible partner in global energy markets.
He also outlined plans to deploy artificial intelligence across the industrial ecosystem, describing AI as an "industrial brain" that will redefine productivity and decision-making in UAE factories.
Closing with a direct call to action, Dr Al Jaber said:
"Build with us. Invest with us. Make it in the Emirates."
News Source: Emirates News Agency
