The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) recently held a meeting with local enterprises to help determine newer strategies that can further promote sales of products manufactured in Sharjah.

The meeting, held with enterprises participating in the chamber’s permanent exhibition for local industries, complements the government’s policy on economic diversification.

It is part of a series of discussions aimed at highlighting the SCCI’s Made in Sharjah programme, an integrated promotional system that provides support for locally-made products.

“Today’s meeting aims to strengthen our communication ties with the private sector by discussing and formulating ideas and solutions that can help improve Sharjah’s wide range of local products and services,” said Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, chairman, SCCI.

“The permanent exhibition area within SCCI is part of the chamber’s commitment to provide local businesses a venue where they can promote their products throughout the year. This initiative has proved so effective that several countries have followed our example and now provide the same form of support for their local enterprises,” he added.

Al Midfa further urged the local enterprises to continue with their efforts in developing performance, improving products and adopting best trade practices.

He also encouraged them to take part in excellence programs such as the Sharjah Economic Excellence Award (Seea) and to participate in the chamber’s foreign visits, which provides them an excellent opportunity to promote and market their products while also encouraging foreign investment opportunities and increased export activity.

The SCCI chairman shared that the chamber’s seven per cent membership growth among industrial enterprises in 2009 and the successful launch of several industrial projects in the emirate this year have become positive indicators of Sharjah’s move towards economic development and the country’s economic recovery as a whole.

Hussein Mohammed Al Mahmoudi, director general, SCCI made a presentation on the chamber’s role in serving the business community and spoke about the organisations associated with the chamber.

The presentation also focused on the chamber’s short and long term programmes, which include the business groups, a set of working committees representing Sharjah’s diversified economic sectors, the Sharjah Shopping Weeks initiative, a programme aimed at increasing sales activity in selected commercial sectors, the Business Breakfast Meetings, a monthly meeting between the SCCI and various business groups that aim at discussing key issues and develop effective business solutions and the Made in Sharjah programme, which aims to showcase the excellence of local products.

Al Mahmoudi reported that the SCCI’s number of industrial memberships reached 1,447 in 2009; registering a 3.06 per cent growth from the 1,404 membership figure posted in 2008.

He also shared that the value of Sharjah’s non-oil manufacturing exports reached Dh3.1 billion ($844 million) in 2009; representing a 0.07 per cent growth from the Dh2.89 billion posted in 2008.

The Made in Sharjah programme covers nine major areas of development, promotion and advertising of local made products.

These areas include the Made in Sharjah exhibition, the Made in Sharjah trademark, the promotional plan for the permanent exhibition, a short video documentary entitled Made in Sharjah, a monthly electronic newsletter, a special section on tejari.com, the export processing guide, a standardised specifications programme and a series of training and rehabilitation programmes currently being implemented by SCCI. – TradeArabia News Service