His Majesty Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, initiated the "Operation 300 billion" Industrial Strategy.

The 10-year comprehensive strategy aims to strengthen and develop the manufacturing sector so that it can become the engine of a sustainable national economy, increasing its GDP contribution from Dhs133 billion to Dhs300 billion by 2031. The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology will implement programmes and projects to support 13,500 industrial small and medium businesses (SMEs).

The strategy will work to advance the national economy and contribute to sustainable development by focusing primarily on potential industries that incorporate advanced technology and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions and applications.

It aims to improve productivity by improving and promoting local products on a global scale, as well as creating an appealing market climate for local and foreign investors. The strategy aims to place the UAE as a global manufacturing hub that attracts talents, entrepreneurs, and experts from all over the world by offering a competitive package of facilities and incentives.

Under the slogan "Make it in the Emirates," Sheikh Mohammed also introduced the Cohesive Industrial Brand Identity. The new campaign, is an extension of the UAE Nation Brand, is built on a vision of differentiation, individuality, and efforts to strengthen the credentials of UAE goods by improving their quality and global competitiveness. In the end, any product manufactured in the UAE will meet the highest international quality requirements.

According to Sheikh Mohammed, "The UAE's industrial sector will take a giant leap forward as a result of the industrial strategy, becoming the main driving force of the national economy and leading next 50 years with greater trust and pace. The industrial sector is the backbone of large economies, and the UAE has the tools, policies, and leadership in place to establish a global economic foundation."

"Developing the manufacturing sector and achieving self-sufficiency in some critical sectors safeguards our economy against emerging global crises," Sheikh Mohammed said. With affordable national products, our goal is to double our performance, increase in-country value, and create an export ecosystem that boosts local products' economic competitiveness. We want to start new manufacturing projects in a futuristic framework that produces out-of-the-box solutions to solve problems quickly.

"The industrial strategy will empower national industries and lead the country's efforts to advance the industrial sector as a major driver of the national economy for next 50 years," Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasized the importance of empowering youth to respond to rapidly-changing technological developments and leveraging their talents to develop future industrial sectors such as artificial intelligence, space technology, oil, and pharmaceuticals. These initiatives would ensure long-term economic development in order to provide a stable and prosperous future for future generations. The UAE has established itself as the region's economic capital and an ideal business environment, with world-class digital infrastructure.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan went on saying that "The industrial strategy sets a lofty goal of doubling the contribution to GDP while also increasing in-country value. The comprehensive national programme builds on the country's investment benefits to promote long-term economic growth in line with national priorities in the post-COVID-19 period." This industrial strategy unites the government and private sector efforts to lead the country's developmental sectors on to create a future country focused on a stable and solid economy.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, presented Operation 300bn, stating that the strategic national programme aims to deliver sustainable economic growth for the UAE's industrial sector by increasing its competitiveness on a regional and global level. By 2031, the strategy aims to increase the industrial sector's annual GDP contribution to Dhs300 billion, creating new jobs, improving local skillsets, and increasing national competitiveness,". By 2031, Operation 300 billion would have aided over 13,500 SMEs, important for the development of a prosperous manufacturing sector and a sustainable economy.

The amount spent on R&D in the industrial sector would increase from Dhs21 billion in 2017, which accounts for 1.3 percent of GDP, to Dhs57 billion in 2031, taking the contribution to GDP to 2%.The UAE's export ecosystem will benefit from Operation 300 billion because it will promote the existing industries and increase their contributions to GDP.

"The strategy will build on the strong base of the UAE's core competencies and unique advantages as a regional logistics, energy, and manufacturing hub to boost the country's regional and global competitiveness," Al Jaber said. It will fasten the process of economic diversification in key industrial sectors such as energy, petrochemicals, plastics, metals, and manufacturing and sectors such as food, agriculture, water, and healthcare.

Space technology, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, clean and renewable energy, machinery and equipment, rubber and plastic, chemicals, plastics, advanced technologies manufacturing, electronics and electrical gadgets, and food and beverage are some of the future sectors that the plan will concentrate on. Updates to the current law governing industrial relations in the UAE will be a key enabler of the policy in order to promote local entrepreneurs and attract foreign direct investment. Individual companies would be able to be owned exclusively by foreigners.

"The UAE boasts a vibrant and enabling industrial ecosystem with all the necessary elements to accelerate further development," Al Jaber added. Operation 300 billion, according to Al Jaber, aims to improve the UAE's global ranking on the Competitive Industrial Performance Index (CIP). Through Operation 300 billion, we hope to take advantage of the UAE's unique competitive advantages and global status as a leading economic centre to provide a more appealing regulatory environment, flexible financing options, and other pro-growth policies to further benefit entrepreneurs and investors.

The industrial strategy is in line with the In-Country Value (ICV) Program, which aims to increase the value of industrial goods and services, increase demands for local goods, encourage R&D investment and encourage advanced technology adoption. The new plan aims to dramatically increase in-country value and channel funds into the local economy. It will guide the production of requirements and standards to ensure that locally produced goods are competitive and valuable in global export markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countries all over the world to rethink their priorities. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the UAE has shown remarkable resilience and adaptability. As the UAE embarks on plans for the next 50 years, Operation 300bn is focused on information, creativity, advanced technology, and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions and applications to ensure the UAE's continued competitiveness and preserve its strong international reputation. The development of new capabilities in future sectors, the policy would substantially reduce the UAE's dependence on imports in critical industries.

It requires a collective effort from all stakeholders to cooperate and incorporate their skills for successful implementation this strategy. Increased collaboration and communication between the public and private sectors would benefit the industrial and advanced technology sectors' growth and development.

Operation 300 billion is a national action plan to improve supporting frameworks and resources. It aims to create the most resilient logistical and legislative structure of its type, to optimize the industrial sector's revenue.

The Unified Industrial Brand Identity strategy aims to transform the UAE's industrial products into a representation of the country's identity, based on the pursuit of excellence through unified national standards, and to highlight the unique features and superior quality of UAE-made products.

Four Main objectives

The "Operation 300 billion" industrial strategy has four key goals. The first is to update the Industrial Law to encourage local entrepreneurs and attract foreign direct investment, thus creating an attractive business climate for local and international investors in the industrial sector. To achieve the first goal, the strategy will provide funding to industrial sectors and improve industrial-quality infrastructure to support current and new local industries, as a vision to resolve future challenges with the goal of promoting sustainable industrial growth and increasing competitiveness.

The second target is to jumpstart industrial growth and stimulates the economy by introducing a programme to improve in-country value and demand for UAE goods, with the goal of raising their GDP contribution and increasing exports.

The third goal is to promote innovation and the adoption of advanced technology and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions by establishing an advanced technology agenda to accelerate the production of innovative goods by taking into account all commercial viability factors.

The fourth goal is to lay solid groundwork for the UAE to become a leading global hub for future industries by developing policies that cement the country's place as a leading business and technology hub.

UAE’s Unified Industrial Identity – Make it in the Emirates

The Unified Industrial Brand Identity is an extension of the UAE Nation Brand, and it stems from a vision focused on differentiation, individuality, and efforts to improve the credentials of UAE goods by improving their quality and global competitiveness as part of industrial strategy. The Unified Industrial Identity contributes to the country's positioning as an incubator of innovation and creativity by supporting the diversification of the national industrial base. The Unified Industrial Identity aims to develop UAE goods within an attractive industrial sector with unlimited potential for growth, and create the sector as an integral part of the UAE's unique success story. As a key contributor to the country's development journey, the UAE Nation Brand aims to share the UAE's story with the world as a leader in sustainable development.

‘Make it in the Emirates,' part of the Unified Industrial brand identity, is the first campaign of its kind in the UAE, encouraging local and foreign investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs to take advantage of the country's industrial sector's facilities and incentives, and to realize their dreams of producing, manufacturing, and exporting their goods.

This new Identity aims to increase consumer confidence in UAE products by establishing strict manufacturing standards to ensure highest levels of excellence, performance, and quality, placing them on par with similar reputable global products. It also encourages the UAE's diverse business sector to pursue industrial projects and contribute to the growth of local industries throughout the region.

The unified industrial identity encourages the UAE's business community – including people, residents, and foreign investors – to embrace a "manufacturer mindset" based on a culture of possibilities that allows any creative concept to become a reality. This Identity, as a national strategic framework, serves as a guarantee, security, and support framework that will hold all UAE products to the same high standards of quality and excellence.