Abu Dhabi [UAE], May 5: Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, stated the UAE has remained resilient in the face of regional and global challenges, guided by the vision and directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and supported by the unity of Emirati society, with citizens and residents standing together behind the leadership and the nation.
This came as Dr. Al Jaber today opened the fifth and largest edition of Make it in the Emirates, the UAE's flagship industrial platform, where he announced AED180 billion in new industrial procurement opportunities in a national drive to localise more than 5,000 products across sectors critical to economic, food, and healthcare security.
Opening the forum following a three-month period that has tested the region deeply, Dr. Al Jaber said the UAE continues to transform challenges into opportunities, emphasizing that resilience, sovereignty, and industrial capability are central pillars of the country's long-term economic strategy.
"History remembers the challenges nations face. But it also remembers how nations respond to them and what they build next," Dr. Al Jaber said. "There is a great difference between those who focus only on surviving crises, and those who seize them as opportunities and turn them into new beginnings. In the UAE, we do not simply endure hardships. We emerge from them stronger."
He added: "We do not wait for transformation; we drive it. We do not simply adapt to the future; we help shape it."
He also paid tribute to the UAE Armed Forces - who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their unification - frontline personnel, emergency responders, and national institutions for safeguarding stability during the recent crisis.
Industrial sector contribution reaches AED 200 billion
Dr. Al Jaber said the UAE's industrial strategy continues to deliver structural transformation across the national economy.
Industrial sector contribution has reached AED 200 billion, a 70 percent increase since 2021; while industrial exports climbed to AED262 billion, including AED 92 billion in advanced industrial exports.
"These figures are not merely growth," Dr. Al Jaber said. "They are proof that our industrial economic model works, produces, and continues to accelerate."
He highlighted the National In-Country Value (ICV) Program as a key driver of this progress, helping turn spending into investment "in our economy, our factories, our talent, and our future."
Today, with the support of the UAE leadership and endorsement of the Cabinet, the value of industrial procurement opportunities will increase from AED 168 billion to AED 180 billion over the next decade.
Make it in the Emirates follows the Make it with ADNOC forum held on Sunday with the support of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. The forum unveiled procurement opportunities and planned projects worth more than AED 200 billion over the next two years, reinforcing ADNOC's role as a catalyst for UAE industrial growth.
The Local+ initiative was also announced at the forum, which connects engineering, procurement, construction, and services contractors with 70 qualified Emirati manufacturers.
Economic security cannot be imported - it must be built
Dr. Al Jaber emphasized that industry is not simply an economic choice, but "a necessity" that strengthens resilience, protects the national economy from global volatility, and enhances the country's ability to withstand disruption.
Referring to the importance of safeguarding international trade routes, he warned that disruptions to strategic maritime corridors affect not only one region, but the global economy.
"Economic security cannot be imported - it must be built and protected," Dr. Al Jaber said.
"The security of vital trade routes is not a regional matter alone, but a shared global responsibility."
Addressing the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, Dr. Al Jaber reaffirmed the UAE's position on freedom of navigation and the legal status of international waterways.
"Freedom of international navigation is non-negotiable and cannot be compromised," he said. "Any change to these principles would constitute a dangerous and unacceptable precedent and a direct threat to global economic security."
UAE reshapes its position in the global energy landscape
Dr. Al Jaber said the UAE is entering "a new chapter" in which it is reshaping its place in the global economy with "confidence, clarity, and ambition."
He described the UAE's decision to reposition itself within the global energy landscape, including its exit from OPEC and OPEC+, as "a carefully considered strategic decision" that "is not directed against anyone, any country, or institution" and is aligned with the country's long-term national interests and economic ambitions.
"[The decision] serves our national interests and long-term strategic objectives, aligns with our industrial, economic, and developmental ambitions, and gives us greater ability to accelerate investment, expand, and create value," Dr. Al Jaber said.
"Real strength is not measured by the abundance of resources, but by how they are harnessed to create value and serve the nation."
He stressed that the UAE "will remain a trusted and responsible partner in global energy markets" and will continue supporting market stability "from a position of greater flexibility."
He added that the move forms part of a broader national strategy to reshape the economy and industrial base through a vision that connects energy, technology, and industry, aligning resources with national priorities to build a stronger economy.
AI to become an industrial brain across UAE factories
In line with the UAE government's direction to deploy AI agents and advanced AI models across services and operations, the country is launching what Dr. Al Jaber described as an unprecedented technological and digital transformation across its industrial ecosystem.
"Artificial intelligence will no longer be just a tool in our factories," he said. "It will become an industrial brain and a partner in decision-making - redefining efficiency, productivity, and the decision-making process."
He added that the transformation reflects an integrated economic model through which the UAE is shaping and anticipating the future.
A global platform for industrial growth
Addressing investors and manufacturers, Dr. Al Jaber positioned the UAE as a global platform for growth, offering a business environment built on credibility and trust, flexible regulation, disciplined governance, world-class financial services, advanced infrastructure and logistics, and strong connectivity to international markets.
"In the UAE, ideas are transformed into industries, and investment is transformed into value," he said.
Dr. Al Jaber also called on the UAE's private sector, chambers of commerce and industry, and sovereign wealth funds to prioritize domestic investment.
"Direct Domestic Investment is no longer an option - it is a priority," he said. "Because it is an investment in our stability, our economic sovereignty, and the future of generations to come."
The way ahead
"The economies of the future will be built on three foundations: energy that powers, technology that thinks, and industry that produces," Dr. Al Jabersaid.
"Those who successfully combine energy, artificial intelligence, and industry will strengthen their ability to grow and compete globally. And that ecosystem is already taking shape here in the United Arab Emirates."
Dr. Al Jaber's closing message was direct: "From the UAE, opportunities begin. From the UAE, industries launch to the world."
"Build with us. Invest with us. Make it in the Emirates."
Source: Emirates News Agency
