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Integral to the planning and development
of Sharjah's commercial infrastructure,
following the oil boom in 1971, the Sharjah
Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established.
From the
beginning the SCCI sought to create a strong
non-oil sector to lay a comprehensive foundation
for sharjah's economy. More than twenty
years later, this policy is paying off.
The Petrochemical Industry is well-developed,
as well as the Textile & Leather, Basic
Nonmetal, Foodstuff and Wood Industries.
Currently,
the industrial sector contributes about
9.6% of the Emirate's GDP. The push to shift
Sharjah into a redistribution and re-export
hub for the fast growing Middle East market
has proved itself equally rewarding.
The SCCI
gives full support to investors at all stages.
It offers technical advice and assistance
in the preparation of preliminary viability
studies. Its Industrial Development Department
provides assistance at the operational stage,
conducts market surveys and assesses the
progress of any enterprise. It also recommends
optional methods of production and suggests
ways and means of avoiding difficulties.
The Chamber
is continuously seeking ways to improve the
Emirate's infrastructure and boost industrial
activity through searching for and promoting
Sharjah goods in new markets. It looks into
issues like minimum-wage requirements, civic
amenities in industrial source and legal affairs.
With
the implementation of a comprehensive Data
Bank, Sharjah has added a major asset to
its services. The Data Bank contains a voluminous
and diverse amount of information regarding
local, regional and international business-related
activities e.g. a world -wide directory
of trade fairs and exhibitions, details
on international chambers of commerce, business
opportunities in Sharjah and elsewhere.
To complement
the Data Bank, the SCCI have introduced
a hi-tech on-line information service network
- the Sharjah Information Guide. It gives
access to a wide scope of information -
ranging from trade to tourism, from addresses
to maps, from banks to bazaars. The touch
screen system makes the guide easily accessible
and user-friendly.
In the early
'90's, the Sharjah Government developed
an enlightened plan to set up eleven industrial
zones - executed by the Sharjah Chamber
of Commerce and Industry - to give an extra
boost to the development of industry and
to encourage industrial investors. This
has resulted in a tailor-made model industrial
zone with state-of-the-art facilities, infrastructure
and utilities. It has been set up west of
the city, covering 26 sq. kms., with 2,649
individual plots of between 10,000 and 20,000
sq. ft. An ideal location with first-class
road links to Sharjah's air and seaports.
There is an efficient drainage system and
the excellent power and water supplies are
subsidized by as much as 70%. As the SCCI
is a nonprofit organization, plots can be
purchased at cost price. |
