During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation between Sharjah and Kerala in areas such as economy, industry, and tourism.

Sharjah: The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) explored avenues of cooperation with the Indian state of Kerala in several key economic sectors of shared interest.

The discussions focused on fostering joint efforts in the field of international commercial arbitration with a view to enhancing the investment climate and elevating trade exchange volumes between Sharjah and Kerala to levels that match their potential.

The discussions took place during a business meeting, held at the SCCI’s headquarters, between Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI, and P. Rajeeve, Minister for Law, Industries and Coir in the Government of Kerala.

The meeting was attended by Halima Humaid Ali Al Owais, SCCI Board Member; Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General of SCCI, and Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Business Sector at SCCI.

Also present were Dr. Ahmed Saleh Al-Ajla, Director of the Sharjah International Commercial Arbitration Centre “Tahkeem” which operates under the umbrella of the Sharjah Chamber, and Dr. Fatema Khalifa Al Muqarrab, Director of International Relations at SCCI, along with several officials from both sides.

During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation between Sharjah and Kerala in areas such as economy, industry, and tourism. They emphasised the importance of leveraging existing economic partnerships and agreements between the UAE and India to scale up trade relations and support collaboration in priority sectors.

Both sides also explored opportunities to intensify meetings between investors and business leaders from both countries to exchange expertise and knowledge, coordinate efforts to showcase potential cooperation fields, and promote the establishment of joint investment projects that serve the best interests of the two business communities.

P. Rajeev extended an invitation to the Chairman and members of the Sharjah Chamber to attend the Invest Kerala Global Summit 2025, scheduled to take place on February 21 and 22 at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre.

For his part, Abdallah Sultan Al Owais praised the growing relations between the UAE and the Republic of India, reaffirming the Sharjah Chamber’s commitment to expanding economic and investment cooperation between the two sides.

He highlighted the robust strategic partnership between the UAE and India, especially that the UAE is the third largest global trading partner of the South Asian country. The non-oil foreign trade between the two countries grew to $53.8 billion during the first 10 months of 2024, marking a 22.6 percent growth compared to the same period in 2023.

Al Owais emphasised that the Emirate of Sharjah and the state of Kerala hold significant economic and investment opportunities, noting that this meeting represents a valuable opportunity to unify efforts towards enhancing cooperation and coordination to expand prospects for joint ventures between the two business communities.

It also aims to leverage mutual events organised by both sides to highlight the advantages of investment in both regions. Among the standout events is the " Come on Kerala" exhibition, which is one of the largest Indian trade festivals in the Middle East and is hosted by Expo Centre Sharjah.
The meeting delved into key laws and regulations that foster and stimulate economic growth in both Sharjah and Kerala. Both sides highlighted their advanced legislative frameworks, which help attract foreign investment and encourage business establishment and investment across all economic sectors and activities.

Furthermore, the Sharjah Chamber shed light on the initiatives undertaken by the Sharjah International Commercial Arbitration Centre “Tahkeem” to advance the understanding of arbitration among legal experts, professionals, and business leaders at the local, regional, and international levels.

The Chamber also underscored the Centre’s efforts in resolving commercial disputes and conducting specialized seminars, training programs, and international conferences on commercial disputes.

Meanwhile, the Government of Kerala is organising the Invest Kerala Global Summit 2025 on February 21 – 22 at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre, Grand Hyatt, Bolgatty, Kochi, Kerala. As a prelude to the event, the Minister for Industries, Law and Coir, Government of Kerala, P. Rajeeve, hosted a roadshow on January 14 with investors in Dubai.

The Minister said that Kerala is building a Non Resident Keralites City – NRK City – in the State. It is with a view to attract over $10 billion in investments, especially from Gulf investors. He said that investments should be converted to create employment rather than being pumped into non-employment sectors such as property or land. He noted that around 30 per cent of the State’s GDP is raised from NRK remittances.

An NRK Park in Kannur district is also on the anvil, with incentive schemes such as reduced premiums and investment moratoriums, on offer. The Park is being supported by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA). The Palakkad Industrial City on the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (KBIC), is also on the cards.

The first node of KBIC is located in Palakkad, and the project covers nearly 1, 710 acres. Anticipated investment here is around Indian Rupees 10,000 crore and the cluster is expected to generate over 50,000 direct jobs.

A ‘Pink City’ is being established in Kochi, with a focus on women entrepreneurs. It is part of the Year of Enterprises 3.0, which will created 100,000 new jobs in the MSME sector. MSME Clinics have been constituted in all 14 District Industries Centres. Kerala comprises nearly 5 per cent of MSMEs in India and women entrepreneurs constitute thirty two per cent of MSMEs.