The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) announced that 6,000 new companies joined the Chamber in 2017, reflecting Sharjah’s continuous attractiveness to foreign investment, a media report said.

The total number of members increased by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 69,108 members by the end of 2017, compared to 64,688 in 2016, reinforcing the Chamber's position as the main reference for business in the country, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

The exports and re-exports of the Chamber members reached Dh20 billion ($5.4 billion) in a natural reflection of the advanced infrastructure provided by the emirate to its merchants willing to expand their trade and export to neighbouring markets and the high competitiveness of the business environment.

Saudi Arabia ranked first on the list of exports and re-exports according to certificates issued by the Chamber valued at Dh7.4 billion. The Chamber issued 21,761 certificates of origin to the Saudi market, of which Saudi Arabia accounted for 22.4 per cent of the total certificates of origin issued during 2017.

The Chamber has issued 97,000 certificates of origin in all its branches and branches across the emirate last year.

Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, chairman of the SCCI, said that the UAE economy is moving forward with a clear strategy and direction towards a broad horizon of economic growth and development. Thanks to Sharjah’s economic diversification, strategic geographical location, competitive advantages for its companies, modern legislation and regulations, the business environment and investment opportunities have made Sharjah among the most attractive destinations for investment in the region.

He also mentioned that they will be co-operating with their strategic partners in the Emirate to provide all facilities, in order to enhance Sharjah’s status with regard to the economy, education and investment.

Khalid Bin Butti Al Hajri, director-general of the SCCI, stated that the Chamber has adopted an approach to attract investments that target investors in their markets rather than wait for investment options to be identified.

Al Hajri pointed out that the Chamber, through many different services and initiatives it offers to its members, aims to contribute along with the economic community in the emirate to continue making Sharjah an attractive environment for investment, particularly the qualitative ones. In addition to its plans to organise trade missions during the year which led to promising markets, most notably the African markets, as well as holding meetings with government, private sector entities and businessmen in these markets.

He stated that they are continuing this trend as they began the New Year with a trade mission to Costa Rica in Latin America, which aims to attract companies in the agricultural, tourism, renewable energy, higher education and waste management sectors to Sharjah. They expect to attract more international companies to Sharjah and to help them expand into the region's vast market, he added.

Abdulaziz Shattaf, assistant director-general for Members Services at SCCI, stated that the previous year represented a huge success for them in terms of membership services. He stated that the Chamber has developed the process of membership and simplified its procedures, where it adopted a smarter method that reduced both the steps needed and the time and effort involved.

He added that the Chamber also provided additional benefits to members and the business community, and considers its investment in facilitating services to its members a smart investment that helps serve the business community.