ABU DHABI: The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) launched its new 3-year strategy today spanning from 2023 to 2025, which centres on serving the Abu Dhabi Economy and solidifying its position as the “Voice of the Private Sector”.

In line with its new strategy, the Abu Dhabi Chamber aims to empower the private sector in Abu Dhabi and enhance its competitiveness, making Abu Dhabi the first choice in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for doing business by 2025.

The announcement was made during a launch ceremony organised by the Abu Dhabi Chamber, which was attended by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; Ahmed Jassim Al Zaabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market; Abdulla Mohamed Al Mazrui, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Chamber; Dr. Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, First Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber; and other board members.

The event was also attended by a number of officials and dignitaries, strategic partners, diplomatic representatives, business councils, members from the private sector, and media.

The Chamber's strategy is the result of an extensive exercise that was led by its Board of Directors after their appointment in July 2021 by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as they identified the need for a transformation that will allow the Chamber to provide exceptional services to support the private sector and the Abu Dhabi Economy.

Furthermore, the strategy aims to establish the Chamber as a credible partner for both the private sector and government with adding value to all stakeholders. It was also anchored in the needs of the private sector and aims to foster collaboration with local and federal partners for a successful and prosperous Abu Dhabi.

Strategic Objectives

In its 2023-2025 strategy, the Chamber focused on six strategic objectives. These include: being the #1 advocator for the private sector’s needs and the main communication channel between the private sector and the Abu Dhabi government; being the leader of the primary private sector committees in Abu Dhabi; being the go-to entity for identifying relevant business partners, locally and abroad; being the #1 platform for ecosystem navigation; being a best-in-class and fully digital service provider for Abu Dhabi businesses; and becoming the go-to entity for private sector data and insights.

Strategy Development

Commenting on the launch of the Chamber’s new strategy, Al Mazrui said, “The development of a comprehensive, integrated, and ambitious strategy for the Abu Dhabi Chamber is a major step that supports the directives of our wise leadership by connecting the public and private sectors.

The Chamber already went through an organisational transformation on an internal level, which will play a key role in driving productivity and excellence to overcome any upcoming challenges.”

“The Abu Dhabi Chamber's new strategy is focused on empowering the private sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and supporting it in reaching its full potential in a competitive business environment, by facilitating trade exchange opportunities and driving the growth of the economy in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Through advocacy, innovation, and digitisation, the Chamber contributes to making Abu Dhabi the top choice in the MENA region for business by 2025, and consolidating the Chamber's reputation as one of the best chambers of commerce in the region and the world,” he added.

Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, Under-Secretary of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, stated, “The Abu Dhabi Chamber's new strategy will contribute to making more achievements in economy and trade, for the benefit the emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The Chamber seeks to have a stronger influence in the formulation of policies, and serve as a channel of communication between the private sector, the government and the concerned parties.”

He added, “The launch of the new strategy is a major step for growing Abu Dhabi’s economy, especially that the Chamber works closely with the private sector and is aware of the sector’s needs and concerns. The Department of Economic Development - Abu Dhabi is committed to supporting the execution of the Abu Dhabi Chamber's strategy during the next stage, to drive the growth of the emirate's economy and create more opportunities for future generations.”

Al Dhaheri commented, “Supported by our wise leadership, the Abu Dhabi Chamber has made great achievements since its establishment, growing its membership base to more than 133,000 members. This reflects Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for doing business. Abu Dhabi Chamber’s new strategy aims to enhance the competitiveness of the private sector and expedite its growth and contribution to the national economic development.”

The Start of a New Phase

Mohamed Helal Almheiri, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Chamber, said, “Since its establishment in 1969, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has provided a supportive, flexible, and inclusive environment to businesses in Abu Dhabi. With our new strategy, we look forward to starting a new phase that focuses on uncovering opportunities for the business community, by providing services that benefit the emirate and make it one of the best and most dynamic business destinations in the world for living, working, and establishing businesses.”

“Over the past three years, Abu Dhabi’s private sector has witnessed rapid growth, driven by the guidance of our wise leadership, and Abu Dhabi Chamber’s support. For the next three years, the Chamber aims to achieve further success by bringing the private and public sectors together. This aims to strengthen the contribution and impact of Abu Dhabi’s business community on the sector’s development, and maintain its active presence in the local and national economy, to enhance Abu Dhabi's reputation and its leading position on the regional and global forums,” he added.

A newly transformed and Global Arbitration Centre

In line with the objectives of the new strategy, the Abu Dhabi Chamber is preparing to soon launch a newly transformed Arbitration Centre that will bring together international best practices for the region and local businesses to take full advantage of Alternative Dispute Resolution practices. This will further support the business environment in Abu Dhabi, making Abu Dhabi a preferred hub for Alternative Dispute Resolution in years to come.

Chamber services

According to the new strategy, the Chamber will play three key roles: Being a Policy Advocator, a Networker, and a Service Provider.

By being a policy advocator, the Chamber will be serving as the interface between the private sector and the government, and run sectorial committees and working groups through leading the Economic Collaboration Committee, liaising with its government partners accordingly to provide a platform for the private sector to discuss the best ways to overcome challenges, propose new ideas, and raise policy recommendations.

The Chamber will also organise regulation consultations and campaigns that aim to support the private sector in understanding relevant regulations and contribute to the establishment and modification of laws before they are issued. Moreover, the Chamber will organise B2G conferences, and provide credible data and research to private sector and government partners.

As part of its role as a networker, the Chamber will work with different stakeholders with the aim of uncovering opportunities within the ecosystem. The Chamber will continue to organise B2B matchmaking events, which aim to bring together local companies with relevant local and international companies/organisations to promote trade and contribute to economic growth. Aside from this, the Abu Dhabi Chamber will be hosting focused topical events to support networking and discuss the most pressing topics in the business environment The Chamber will also support international delegations to facilitate trade, investments and collaboration for the private sector.

As part of its role as a service provider, the Chamber aims to be a trusted platform for economic ecosystem navigation and will offer best in class digital and advisory services including, legal advice, legal mediation, attestation, and official documentation services like the certificate of origin. The Chamber conducted a complete digital transformation exercise recently and all its services are 100 percent digital and can be accessed through the TAMM platform.

The Chamber has stressed that its role is to complement the efforts of the government through private sector engagement and this new strategy with its objectives, service offering and dedication from the Board of Directors, Chamber management, and employees. The ultimate aim is to support Abu Dhabi and realise its future vision, to strengthen the private sector and Abu Dhabi economy through advocacy, innovation, and digitisation, making Abu Dhabi the number one choice in MENA for business and talent by 2025.