SHARJAH CALLING

SHARJAH FREE ZONES

The good News Stories keep coming out of the UAE , whether its Dubai, Abu Dhabi or even Sharjah. Unlike its neighbour (Dubai) Sharjah has maintained a steady economic growth and still retained one foot in reality much due to His Highness The Rule Sheikh Sultan Al Qassimi who takes an active role in Sharjah's Town Planning.

In fact its quite calming driving back into Sharjah after the Metro City on Steroids of Dubai and the mass of interconnecting highways criss-crossing the main artery - The Sheikh Zayed Highway. Very few people even know or realise that in fact it was Sharjah that first pioneered the Free Zone Concept in 1980. Something deemed as very radical for conservative Sharjah. Sharjah has always been the pioneering Emirate - The First Airport in the UAE, The First Container Terminal in the UAE, The First Cold store to name but a few of its development milestones. And, for those Cricket Fans amongst you, Sharjah built the First Cricket Stadium where both Indian and Pakistani Fans could cheer on their respective National Teams - the atmosphere was electrifying whether you liked cricket or not.

Letting Dubai take the First Step to establish its Jebel Ali Free Zone - His Highness was initially reluctant to rock the 'Trade Licence Boat' where UAE Nationals had traditionally sponsored foreign companies (51%-49% in favour of the local sponsor).The idea of allowing foreign companies to enter the UAE and have 100% foreign ownership was quite a bold move.

In 1985 Dubai - Jebel Ali Free Zone was launched and Sharjah watched and waited. The writer was fortunate to be involved in that First Free Zone Team ( having relocated from Sharjah to Dubai in 1984). Many years later upon returning to Sharjah and meeting with His Highness it was an amusing meeting as His Highness stated "We Sent you to Dubai for Training"... Now we Start our Free Zones in Sharjah. There then followed Hamriyah Free Zone and SAIF Zone Sharjah Airport International Free Zone. More recently other Free Zones have been established in Sharjah and its newest member released its 2021 Year End Figures indicating over 2,000 New Companies had signed up.

See the National Press Write Up :- PRESS CUTTING

2,000 companies starts operations at SPC Free Zone in 2021

Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone’s achievements enhance its position as a leading hub for investors in creative industries

??By?Staff Writer, Khaleej Times January 2022

?Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPC Free Zone) has announced that it witnessed an impressive growth in the number of new company registrations last year as major stakeholders in the education and publishing sectors have leveraged SPC Free Zone’s nurturing and supportive environment and advanced infrastructure to conduct business and expand operations in the region.

In a statement on Sunday, SPC Free Zone said 2,000 new companies from 106 countries, largely from the UK, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Lebanon have commenced operations in the free zone last year.

“In a testament to SPC Free Zone’s leading status as an ideal hub for publishing and knowledge industries, the number of newly registered publishing companies and allied businesses raised over the previous year. This reflects the emirate’s ongoing efforts to attract investments in diverse economic sectors, including creative industries through the free zone’s portfolio of advanced services and state-of-the-art facilities that cater to investors’ needs,” according to SPC Free Zone.

Initiatives attract investors

The launch of several initiatives to attract investors and cultural and academic entities to set base in the emirate has seen SPC Free Zone successfully strengthen its leading position as a driver of economic growth and diversification and become a haven for entrepreneurs across a spectrum of creative industries.

Covering an area of 40,000 square metres, SPC provides 600 furnished offices for publishing entrepreneurs and 6,000 square metres of space for investors planning to create their own spaces. It also houses more than 20 conference rooms, stores, service facilities and a public administration branch of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship to speed up the visa processing for investors.

Open 24/7, SPC Free Zone offers investors a wide range of benefits including 100 per cent foreign ownership for all nationalities, 100 per cent repatriation of capital, 100 per cent exemption from personal income tax, corporate tax, import and export tax, as well as access to all other services at cost-effective rates, including manpower, energy, living, printing, and logistics.

SPC Free Zone gets ISO 9001:2015

Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone was awarded the Quality Management System Certificate (ISO 9001:2015) in 2021 in recognition of its excellence as a business incubator and for providing a supportive environment for investors and start-ups in the publishing and allied sectors.

In 2021, SPC Free Zone signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mashreq Bank to offer priority access to an array of financial and banking services to its investors and entrepreneurs in different market sectors.

Investment in knowledge

Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), said: “Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the emirate has emerged as a leading and pioneering city that supports investments in the creative sector and provides a world-class infrastructure for entrepreneurs. Through its initiatives and ever-expanding range of services and facilities since inception in 2014, the free zone is providing promising opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors in creative industries to scale up their businesses and thrive.”

The SBA chairman said the achievements of Sharjah in the publishing sector are paving the way for the promotion of creativity and innovation and enhancing the emirate’s position as a nurturing economic ecosystem that invests in knowledge and culture and attracts publishers and bookmakers to the emirate to set up business and expand to international markets.

A new era of development

Salim Omar Salim, director of SPC Free Zone, noted that the increasing number of investors wanting to start their business in the free zone is a testament to Sharjah’s status as a leading knowledge capital of the world and its successful efforts in creating an inclusive ecosystem for regional and international publishers.

“At the beginning of each year, we embark on a new journey in our development process to provide our investors and partners with new ideas and initiatives to keep pace with the fast-changing world and to fulfil the varied demands of our investors. It is the responsibility of SPC Free Zone to provide essential services and facilities to help our stakeholders thrive and grow at all levels,” he said.

FOOT NOTE - Well worth taking a look at Sharjah which has Sea Access on two Coastlines - The Arabian Gulf and The Arabian Sea (At Khorfakkan) - Known as the Eastern Seaboard - Quite Spectacular.

His Highness The Ruler spent some time in the UK's Exeter University and even donated a beautiful Library to the University. The writer may be a bit biased towards Sharjah - It was Sharjah that gave me my First Break and my Two Kids were both born in Sharjah. So My Heart belongs to SHARJAH.....

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