Sharjah Chamber sees 12% growth in member companies

Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - RIYADH: Registered member companies with the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed 12 percent growth in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the start of the year.  

The SCCI reported a surge in the number of member firms, climbing from 40,392 in January to a total of 45,373 active companies by the end of September in the same year.   

The combined export and re-export values of these entities reached 17 billion dirhams ($4.63 billion) during the third quarter of the current year.  

The SCCI made this announcement at its sixth regular board meeting, where participants reviewed the chamber’s key initiatives and achievements in 2023.  

They discussed various agenda items, with a particular focus on updates to ongoing projects, including the date project workflow plan.  

The meeting also addressed suggestions from the chamber’s different sectors and the institutions under its oversight. These discussions encompassed the topics of expanding memberships and certificates of origin, as well as the achievements of the newly established sectoral working groups. 

Abdullah Sultan Al-Owais, chairman of the SCCI, said that his entity’s achievements in 2023 reflect its complete commitment to meeting the strategic goals outlined within its 2022-2024 strategy.  

He further noted that the SCCI has initiated launching top-tier economic and commercial events, programs, and exhibitions to promote Sharjah’s ongoing economic development process. 

For his part, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Awadi, the SCCI’s director general, commented on the increase in the number of member companies, saying that the surge in memberships and certificates of origin since the beginning of the year is a testament to the chamber’s success in meeting the majority of its 2023 targets.  

“In this regard, the SCCI reported 40,392 membership renewals and 1,674 free zone memberships during the first nine months of 2023 and issued 58,798 certificates of origin. Such statistics reflect Sharjah’s rich investment climate and its position as an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and investors,” Al-Awadi said. 

Meanwhile, Abdulaziz Mohammed Shattaf, assistant director general of the communication and business sector at the chamber, said that his success in raising both new memberships and renewals is a fruit of efforts to attract investments through comprehensive strategies and plans that have facilitated membership and renewal procedures and provided competitive benefits for members, adding value to their activities. 

During the meeting, the board received a briefing on the performance of SCCI branches in the eastern and central regions. Participants reviewed the positive outcomes of festivals and events organized by the chamber to strengthen these regions’ economic, commercial, and cultural sectors.  

Additionally, they discussed how these events encourage businesspeople to lead competitive development initiatives and capitalize on the promising and dynamic investment opportunities in cities across those regions.