Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), the promotional investment arm at the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), has held a workshop to draw more foreign investment into the emirate through increased government coordination.

Held at the Business Centre in Al Qasba, the ‘Sharjah Attraction Investment Workshop’, was attended by representatives from Shurooq, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Department of Planning and Survey, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), Sharjah General Command of the Civil Defense, Department of Government Relations (DGR), Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department (SRERD), Sharjah Asset Management Holding, and Sharjah Customs.

The workshop participants discussed ways to strengthen integration between relevant government departments to develop the investment environment in Sharjah, including procedures for business set-up and licensing.

HE Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq, said: “As Sharjah’s economic progress remains a top priority, we continue to develop forward-looking strategies that focus on ease of business and supporting start-ups. Through inter-departmental coordination and cooperation, Sharjah is not just an attractive investment proposition, it provides an integrated infrastructure which is both cost-effective and time-efficient.”

Al Sarkal added: “Sharjah has established its position on the global business map for many reasons, including the spectrum of its investment opportunities, its progressive economic strategies and ambitions, its corporate-friendly legislation and its world class free zones. With added inter-departmental collaboration, the Emirate’s attractiveness can only increase.”

For his part, Mohammed Juma Al Musharrakh, Director of Sharjah FDI Office, praised the steps taken by government departments to ease business set-up and licensing procedures, leading to a significant development in the nature of services offered for investors.

“The workshop has explored ways of drawing new and qualitative investment into Sharjah’s health and education sectors in particular and I am confident that Sharjah possesses all the qualities that qualify it to become a regional FDI hub in that respect. Despite the emergence of several investment challenges on a global and regional scale, Sharjah has made great strides in establishing its status as a leading business hub, with joint efforts to organise worldwide business forums and other investment events, which demonstrate the great impact of teamwork between our local bodies”. Said Al Musharrakh.

During the workshop, the participants underscored the importance of communication between departments as ways to speed up responses to investors’ requirements.

The workshop stressed the need to encourage investment in the education, industrial and health sectors, provide swift and practical solutions to any challenges facing investors, and coordinate between the competent authorities to issue approvals and complete transactions through a single window for all government services. The participants also agreed to meet regularly to discuss the teams’ latest developments and findings as well as to continuously coordinate their efforts.