FDI takes a step back as focus turns towards domestic investments

If there’s one key takeaway from day one of Make It In the Emirates, it’s that the UAE is not just after FDI anymore. Officials are doubling down on local investments, domestic resilience, and localization as supply chain disruptions hit multiple sectors across the economy, with Industry and Advanced Technology Minister and Adnoc CEO Sultan Al Jaber framing local investment as a “national priority.”

The data backs it up: UAE-based investors have already been deploying bns into the economy, with AED 119 bn deployed last year, dwarfing foreign direct investment by 2.5x, Special Envoy of the Foreign Affairs Minister for Business and Philanthropy Badr Jafar said yesterday. In terms of exports, the UAE’s industrial exports were valued at AED 262 bn last year, with AED 92 bn of the total coming from advanced industrial products, state news agency Wam reports.

This comes after foreign investors pulled out some USD 120 bn from the Emirates earlier in the conflict. While it’s still unclear what the full impact of the war will be on the UAE’s “safe haven” image, with many foreign firms including asset managers like Citadel and Hillhouse doubling down on the UAE, it’s at least clear that a prolonged disruption is likely to add to the level of risk associated with the UAE and the wider region.

Companies in the UAE are working on insulating themselves against that risk, with localization agreements across industrials, defense, pharma, and food.

As always, it starts with Adnoc

Adnoc launched a new industrial resilience program, including five initiatives aimed at strengthening supply chains and expanding local manufacturing, Wam reports. The energy giant also named 70 initial local manufacturers under the scheme, with scope to expand. The company is targeting 24.5 bn USD (AED 90 bn) worth of locally manufactured products by 2030.

REMEMBER- Adnoc is expanding its in-country value program to pump bns of USD into the UAE economy over the next five years as it brings more Emirates-based companies into the energy industry supply chain. It’s also lining up AED 200 bn in project awards between now and 2028.

Mubadala’s working the oil servicing + pharma angle

Mubadala and Spain-based industrial manufacturer Tubacex Group have brought online their Abu Dhabi facility for manufacturing oil country tubular goods (OCTG), the two said on the sidelines of the conference. The project is backed by a USD 200 mn investment and has already signed up Adnoc as a client for tubulars used in gas extraction and production.

The facility is the Middle East’s first dedicated base for these kinds of products, offering an option for firms to be supplied with local specialized energy infrastructure tools rather than relying on imports. It’ll reduce reliance on overseas processing and shorten delivery cycles. The facility has the capacity of 20k tons per year and is geared toward both conventional and lower-carbon energy projects.

Mubadala’s healthcare arm Mubadala Bio also just opened a 2.5k sqm expansion of its warehouses to accommodate more medical supplies for its pharma logistics subsidiary GMSC, it said in a statement.

In other pharma news…

UAE-based pharma manufacturer LifePharma inked an MoU with Abu Dhabi Ports (AD Ports) for an AED 700 mn pharma manufacturing platform in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi, according to a press release.

The platform is designed to expand domestic production across vaccines, oncology, treatments, and advanced injectables, including peptides and biologics. It is expected to contribute around AED 2 bn to GDP over its lifecycle.

Who’s doing what? Abu Dhabi Ports Group will provide infrastructure, land access, and utilities, while LifePharma leads technical and regulatory development. The project also includes financing support from Ajman Bank.

The same logic is beginning to show up in defense procurement

The UAE’s defense and security authority Tawazun Council tapped Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer for aircraft, but a key condition in the contract called for the development of maintenance, repair, and overhaul capacity in partnership with a national company, according to a press release. Tawazun is set to receive 10 firm orders and 10 options of the C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft.

The plan: The aircraft will be used across cargo and troop transport, medical evacuation, humanitarian missions, and airdrop operations in complex, mission-critical environments.

And food supply chains are moving on the same track

Al Ain Farms Group and NRTC Group have launched a joint venture under the brand Al Ain Taaza, aiming to capture about a third of the UAE’s AED 500 mn fresh juice market within three to five years, according to a press release. The operation is structured as a fully UAE-based supply chain that combines production, sourcing, processing, and distribution under one system.

Who’s doing what? NRTC Group will manage sourcing, production, and cold chain infrastructure, while Al Ain Farms Group brings brand equity, packaging capabilities, and its distribution network of 23k sales points.

Over in construction

UAE-based building and construction materials manufacturer Hira Industries has added a new facility in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone’s Al Ghail Industrial Zone, according to a press release. The 7.5k sqm site lifts production capacity for insulation materials to over 500k sqm per month.

What to watch

We’re still waiting on the list of 150 key commodities that will fall within the new National Supply Chain Resilience Program’s scope, which were said to be announced at MIITE. Those are set to include food, meds, and industrial goods.