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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.
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