Our Sectors
Our Sectors
The priority sectors of the National Industrial Strategy
The Ministry has a comprehensive plan for developing the UAE’s industrial sector and enhancing its role in the national economy. The Ministry will focus on 11 vital priority sectors.
PRIORITY SECTORS
Our Focus Sectors
The Ministry has a comprehensive plan for developing the UAE’s industrial sector and enhancing its role in the national economy. The ministry will focus on 11 vital priority sectors and seek to increase the efficiency and sustainability of production cycles and supply chains through the deployment of advanced technologies, enhance the existing system of specifications and standards to create an integrated quality infrastructure for the industrial sector, and implement sustainable industrial policies.
Food, beverage and agricultural technology Sector
UAE is becoming a major hub for F&B trade in the MENA region. The food and beverage (F&B) industry is one of the fastest growing and most competitive sectors in the UAE.
- Enable the dairy and poultry meat industries to substitute high-value imports
- The UAE is directing its focus to automating, digitizing and deploying advanced farming technologies
- Investing and capitalizing on agritech solutions to realize food security and uplift downstream industries (e.g. the F&B manufacturing sector)
Pharmaceuticals Sector
The UAE pharmaceutical sector is expanding rapidly to meet the evolving needs of a growing population. The UAE is focused on developing local manufacturers of pharmaceutical products as well as attracting international pharmaceutical companies to the country to achieve self sufficiency and build knowledge and expertise.
- Targeted enablement to localize an integrated generic drug manufacturing value chain.
- The UAE is investing in emerging vaccine production methods
- 80% of local pharmaceutical drug demand has to be imported, which allows for significant growth in this sector through the localization of pharmaceutical drug manufacturing.
Electrical equipment and electronics Sector
UAE is one of the highest ranked countries for the consumption of consumer electronics and appliances. Furthermore, due to its strategic location,Dubai in particular, has been an important supplier of electronic products to the Middle East, Africa and CIS countries.
- The UAE manufactures a wide spectrum of electrical equipment, yet the country still highly relies on imports.
- The UAE is leveraging the captive demand of national companies to expand local electrical equipment manufacturing
Advanced manufacturing Sector
Advanced technology industries provide a benchmark for a nation’s development. The UAE’s pursuit of its vision to become a leading and advanced nation is reflected in its policies and market reforms in this area.
- The UAE is securing G2G agreements to alleviate import limitations on advanced manufacturing products
- The UAE heads G2G coordination of visits by local industrial players to advanced manufacturing facilities in the relevant host country
- With countless applications in sectors ranging from construction to aerospace and healthcare, 3D printing is poised to play a transformational role in the UAE’s industrial development.
Heavy industries Sector
The UAE heavy industry is growing rapidly and plays an increasingly major role in contributing to the nation's GDP.
- The UAE manufactures a wide spectrum of metal products
- By adopting emerging technologies that enable the automation and remote management of operations, the country aims to improve efficieny and product competitiveness in this sector.
Petrochemicals and chemical Sector
The petrochemicals and chemical products industry is one of the most important sectors in the UAE. It has contributed to the diversification of its economy and has significant export opportunities.
- Further integration of the chemical value chain will enable the UAE to decrease imports, enhance exports and enable new downstream investments
- Adoption of chemical specialty formulations technologies will enable the UAE to further tap into high-value markets
Rubber and plastics Sector
The UAE rubber and plastics industry is one of the largest and most important industries in the UAE after oil and gas. Due to its high quality and added value, the UAE rubber and plastics industry has made worldwide leaps in recent years, allowing it to access more than 60 global markets spanning six continents.
- The country plans to increase its production levels in this sector and broaden its plastic conversion portfolio by leveraging on the local polymer feedstock advantage: 569 Rubber/Plastic Converter
- The country has high potential to tap into new plastic conversion products for import substitution and export
- The country has unique competitive advantages due to local access to polymer resin feedstock
Machinery and equipment Sector
The United Arab Emirates is focused on growing the manufacture of machinery and equipment, considering it a sector of vital importance
- The UAE manufactures a wide spectrum of machinery and equipment
- The country will capitalize on the product demand of national champions
- Empowering this sector will enable the substitution of high-value imports such as turbines, turbojets, and pumps and compressors.
Hydrogen Sector
The UAE is rich in hydrocarbons and has a diversified energy mix, from natural gas to solar energy. This places the UAE among the leading countries with potential of developing hydrogen energy sector further, building on the extensive experience and expertise in the oil & gas and renewable energy sectors. Hydrogen production from hydrocarbons presents an important steppingstone, starting with grey hydrogen and transitioning to blue and green hydrogen.
- The UAE can leverage its existing feedstock advantage, available assets and CCS capabilities to produce low-cost blue hydrogen in the short term
- The country will leverage the availability and low-cost of its natural gas resources
- The country will capitalize on the available assets for hydrogen steam reforming.
- The UAE has the potential to participate across the hydrogen value chain from production down to end-use
Medical Technology Sector
The UAE’s healthcare sector is being transformed by new medical technologies that have taken on increased importance in light of the global pandemic. The UAE is focused on expanding its healthcare system, adopting innovative new technologies, and forging partnerships with leading hospitals and medical technology companies.
- This will be accopmlished through providing an attractive environment for startups (e.g., Dubai Science Park, 10 local start-up incubators)
- The UAE has the ability to leverage local academic research entities (e.g., Mohammed Bin Rashid Medical Research Institute, Sharjah Institute of Medical & Health Sciences)
- The UAE plans to further shorten the timeline for the approval of medical products (UAE already ranks among the fastest nations for drug approvals)
- Secure low-cost financing for the medical sector.
Space Technology Sector
The UAE is seeking opportunities to explore celestial bodies, develop satellite communication technologies and deploy the latest space technologies in terrestrial applications.
- The UAE recognises the need for the applications of remote sensing through satellites, including natural resource mapping, environmental monitoring, land-use planning and security.
