Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) has completed 33,149 issued and renewed licenses in Sharjah in the first half of 2017, according to the data released in its Licenses Annual Report of the year.

The report showed that the licenses renewed through the first half of the year reached 30,103, whereas May was the most active month in terms of renewal of licenses which amounted to 5,889, according to Wam, the Emirates official news agency, which cited a press statement.

Data also revealed that commercial licenses took first place in terms of number of effective licenses in 2017, which reached a number of 21,709 followed by professional, industrial, and Eitimad "domestic" licenses.

Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi, SEDD chairman, clarified that the release of annual reports is considered one of the most important economic indicators on which the department depends on to understand the economic situation of the emirate.

Al Suwaidi added that the department succeeded in focusing on the organisation and activation of the economic sector in Sharjah to encourage local and international investments.

He said that the department is simplifying services and procedures in order to facilitate business registration processes, issuing of business licenses and providing greater flexibility to investors and customers in a way that allows them to establish their business within a short period of time.

Fahad Ahmed Al Khamiri, director of Registration and Licensing Department at SEDD, said that the report issued by the department indicates the remarkable continuation of the investment movement of projects in Sharjah. He added that these figures show the sustainable development of Sharjah’s economy and reflect business sector confidence of available investment opportunities too.