The UAE is stepping up efforts to strengthen industrial ties across the Gulf as GCC countries look to build more resilient supply chains and expand regional manufacturing capacity. A UAE delegation led by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, is taking part in ministerial-level industrial and standardisation meetings in Bahrain. The talks, held alongside the Made in GCC Forum and Exhibition in Manama, focus on closer co-ordination between Gulf economies, greater use of advanced technology and artificial intelligence in factories, and wider private-sector involvement in joint industrial projects.
Regional industry agenda
The meetings of the GCC Industrial Co-operation Committee and the Ministerial Committee for Standardisation Affairs are placing particular emphasis on harmonised standards and cross-border collaboration. Dr Al Jaber said closer industrial alignment would be central to improving Gulf competitiveness and supporting economic diversification.
Technology and standards
Among the main outcomes was the launch of the Gulf Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, supported by a digital platform designed to raise factories’ digital maturity and accelerate industrial transformation. GCC officials also extended the review period for amended rules covering customs-duty exemptions on industrial inputs until the end of 2027.
UAE manufacturing growth
The UAE’s focus on regional integration comes as its own manufacturing sector expands. Industry now contributes Dh200 billion, or about $54.45 billion, to the national economy, a rise of 70 per cent. Industrial exports reached Dh260 billion last year, including Dh92 billion from medium and high-technology products.
Supply-chain resilience
The UAE has also launched a Dh1 billion National Industrial Resilience Fund and a strategy aimed at securing supplies while increasing local production of food, medicine and industrial goods. Officials say the pandemic and other global disruptions showed the risks of relying on distant suppliers for critical components. The UAE is participating in the Bahrain event with 23 Emirati companies from sectors including basic industries, pharmaceuticals, defence and spare parts, with preliminary agreements expected between UAE and Gulf companies.
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