The UAE has launched an AED 180 billion industrial procurement drive aimed at localising more than 5,000 products across strategic sectors, as announced by Dr. Sultan Al Jaber at the fifth edition of Make it in the Emirates (MIITE 2026) in Abu Dhabi. The announcement came alongside news that the UAE’s industrial sector contribution has surged to AED 200 billion — a 70% increase since 2021 — while industrial exports have climbed to a record AED 262 billion. The forum, held against a backdrop of regional geopolitical disruption and the UAE’s historic exit from OPEC and OPEC+, positioned industrial self-sufficiency as a matter of national sovereignty. Dr. Al Jaber also declared that AI would evolve from a factory floor tool into a decision-making partner across the country’s manufacturing ecosystem.
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Key Takeaways
- Procurement Target: AED 180 billion in industrial procurement opportunities over the next decade, up from AED 168 billion
- Industrial Contribution: Sector output has reached AED 200 billion, marking a 70% increase since 2021
- Record Exports: Industrial exports reached AED 262 billion, including AED 92 billion in advanced industrial exports
- Product Localisation: Drive to localise over 5,000 products across food, healthcare, and critical manufacturing sectors
- Resilience Fund: AED 1 billion National Industrial Resilience Fund approved by the Cabinet to strengthen supply chains
- ADNOC Projects: “Make it with ADNOC” forum unveiled AED 200 billion in procurement and planned projects over the next two years
- OPEC Exit: Dr. Al Jaber addressed the UAE’s departure from OPEC and OPEC+, calling it a sovereign strategic decision
- Strait of Hormuz: Freedom of navigation declared “non-negotiable” amid continued closure
- AI in Industry: AI positioned as an “industrial brain” that will become a partner in decision-making across UAE factories
- Event Scale: Over 1,245 exhibitors across 12 industrial sectors, with 120,000+ expected visitors over four days
MIITE 2026 Opens Under the Weight of History
The fifth and largest edition of Make it in the Emirates opened on May 4 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, inaugurated by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court. The four-day forum, running through May 7 under the theme “Advanced Industry. Emerging Stronger,” arrived at a moment of heightened significance — following months of regional disruption that have tested the Gulf’s economic resilience and reshaped its strategic calculus.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, set the tone with a keynote that framed industrial capability not as an economic preference but as a sovereign imperative.
“Industry is not a choice, it is a sovereign necessity,” he declared. “It is the foundation of economic security and national resilience. Those who manufacture own their decisions. Those who build, own their future.”
He paid tribute to the UAE Armed Forces — celebrating the 50th anniversary of their unification — along with frontline personnel, emergency responders, and national institutions for safeguarding stability during the recent crisis. The UAE, he said, had emerged “stronger, more resilient, and more determined.”
Industrial Output Surges 70%
The centrepiece of Dr. Al Jaber’s address was a comprehensive accounting of the UAE’s industrial transformation under its Operation 300bn strategy, launched in 2021 to position the country as a global industrial hub by 2031. The strategy originally aimed to raise the industrial sector’s GDP contribution from AED 133 billion to AED 300 billion within a decade.
The results so far have been striking. Industrial sector contribution has reached AED 200 billion, representing a 70% increase since 2021. Industrial exports have climbed to a record AED 262 billion, of which AED 92 billion comes from advanced industrial exports — a category that includes high-value manufactured goods incorporating sophisticated technology.
“These figures are not merely growth,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “They are proof that our industrial economic model works, produces, and continues to accelerate.”
He credited the National In-Country Value (ICV) Program as a key driver of this progress. The ICV program, which redirects government and national company spending towards domestic suppliers, has channelled more than AED 473 billion into the national economy since its inception. The program is now being expanded into a mandatory framework covering all federal government entities and national companies.
AED 180 Billion Procurement Drive
With Cabinet endorsement, the value of industrial procurement opportunities will increase from AED 168 billion to AED 180 billion over the next decade. The expansion targets the localisation of more than 5,000 products across sectors critical to economic, food, and healthcare security.
This builds on a comprehensive package of initiatives approved by the UAE Cabinet on April 26. That package included the creation of a AED 1 billion National Industrial Resilience Fund designed to support the localisation of vital industries, strengthen supply chains, build strategic reserves, and accelerate AI adoption across production and planning. The fund targets priority sectors including primary metals, mechanical and electrical equipment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, advanced technology, and construction.
Additionally, a new policy will strengthen the presence of UAE-made products across retail outlets and e-commerce platforms, prioritising everyday essentials. A National Industrial Data Committee has also been established to integrate real-time import, customs, and logistics data for faster decision-making.
ADNOC’s AED 200 Billion Industrial Catalyst
The MIITE opening followed Sunday’s “Make it with ADNOC” forum, held under the support of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The forum unveiled procurement opportunities and planned projects worth more than AED 200 billion over the next two years, reinforcing ADNOC’s role as a catalyst for UAE industrial growth.
A key announcement was the Local+ initiative, which connects engineering, procurement, construction, and services contractors with 70 qualified Emirati manufacturers, mandating them to prioritise locally manufactured products across ADNOC’s projects and supply chains. The initiative aims to embed domestic manufacturing deeper into the UAE’s energy infrastructure build-out.
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OPEC Exit: A Sovereign Recalibration
Perhaps the most geopolitically charged element of Dr. Al Jaber’s speech was his direct address of the UAE’s exit from OPEC and OPEC+, which took effect on May 1. The departure — the largest by any producing nation in the cartel’s history — followed months of tensions with neighbouring Saudi Arabia over oil output quotas, foreign policy, and the Middle East conflict.
Dr. Al Jaber framed the move as a strategic enabler rather than a diplomatic rupture. “The UAE’s sovereign decision to exit OPEC and OPEC+ is not directed against anyone, any country, or institution, or partner,” he said. “It reflects where the UAE is today, and where it is going.”
The UAE had been producing approximately 30% below its capacity of 4.85 million barrels per day under OPEC quotas. Abu Dhabi is now seeking to expand production capacity to five million barrels per day by 2027.
He positioned the exit within the broader narrative of industrial transformation. “This move was not done in isolation,” he said. “It is part of a broader effort to reshape our economy and industrial base through a vision that connects energy, technology, and industry.”
According to Bloomberg, Dr. Al Jaber stressed that the departure gives the UAE greater ability to accelerate investment and create value, while the country remains committed to supporting the stability of global markets “from a position of greater flexibility.”
Strait of Hormuz: A Global Red Line
Dr. Al Jaber’s remarks on the Strait of Hormuz were equally pointed. Addressing the continued closure of the strategic waterway, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply transits, he rejected any notion of passivity from the international community.
“The continued closure of the Strait is everyone’s problem to solve. You do not get to be a spectator,” he said. “There are no bystanders in a crisis that everyone is paying for.”
He drew a firm red line on the legal status of the waterway: “Freedom of international navigation is non-negotiable and cannot be compromised. The legal status of the Strait as an international waterway must not be altered. Any change to these principles would constitute a dangerous and unacceptable precedent — and a direct threat to global economic security.”
The message was embedded within a broader argument that economic security cannot be imported or outsourced. “The security of vital trade routes is not a regional matter alone, but a shared global responsibility,” he said.
AI as the Industrial Brain
Looking beyond the immediate geopolitical landscape, Dr. Al Jaber outlined a vision for the next phase of industrial growth centred on artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing.
“Artificial intelligence will no longer be just a tool in our factories,” he said. “It will become an industrial brain and a partner in decision-making — redefining efficiency, productivity, and the decision-making process.”
The statement aligns with the UAE government’s broader direction to deploy AI agents and advanced models across public services and industrial operations. MIITE 2026 itself features specialised showcases of advanced manufacturing technologies including robotics, autonomous systems, and AI-powered solutions.
The AED 1 billion National Industrial Resilience Fund explicitly includes the acceleration of AI adoption across production, operations, and planning among its mandates, signalling that the government sees AI not as a future aspiration but as a present-day priority for industrial competitiveness.
A Call for Domestic Investment
Dr. Al Jaber concluded with a direct appeal to the UAE’s private sector, chambers of commerce, and sovereign wealth funds. “Direct Domestic Investment is no longer an option — it is a priority,” he said. “Because it is an investment in our stability, our economic sovereignty, and the future of generations to come.”
The call came amid heightened regional tensions that have shaken investor confidence. Iranian missile strikes on US bases and Gulf states have disrupted the region’s reputation as a safe haven for capital. Dr. Al Jaber’s response was to lean into the disruption rather than away from it, framing the crisis as an opportunity for the UAE to prove the resilience of its economic model.
To global investors, he offered the UAE as a platform for growth built on “credibility and trust, flexible regulation, disciplined governance, world-class financial services, advanced infrastructure and logistics, and strong connectivity to international markets.”
The Scale of MIITE 2026
The fifth edition of the forum has grown into the region’s largest industrial gathering. More than 1,245 exhibiting companies across 12 industrial sectors are participating, with SMEs accounting for 61% of total exhibitors. The event is expected to attract more than 120,000 visitors, including international investors, manufacturers, decision-makers, and industry leaders.
Major national participants include Etihad Airways, which generates more than AED 29 billion in annual revenue through aviation and logistics services and directed AED 8.3 billion to UAE suppliers under the ICV programme in 2025 alone.
Dr. Al Jaber’s closing message distilled the UAE’s industrial ambition into a single formula: “The economies of the future will be built on three foundations: energy that powers, technology that thinks, and industry that produces.”
“Those who successfully combine energy, artificial intelligence, and industry will strengthen their ability to grow and compete globally,” he said. “And that ecosystem is already taking shape here in the United Arab Emirates.”
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