Emirates Growth Fund: "Make in the UAE" milestone

The Emirates Growth Fund (EDF) said that the "Make in the UAE 2026" exhibition marked a milestone in its journey.

The Fund's presence at the exhibition revolved around three main axes: the first was the official launch of the Growth Pioneers Program as an integrated institutional track that enables Emirati manufacturers to obtain growth capital, governance support, and institutional cover necessary for expansion, the second was the tripartite strategic agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC, which established a national framework for the localization of supply chains and the integration of Emirati manufacturers into the country's industrial and energy system, and the third was a series of partnership agreements with major banks and supporting entities. This ensures that the companies supported by the Fund have an integrated institutional system that enhances their growth and opens wider horizons for them.

Taken together, the commitments represent the most impactful phase of the Fund since its inception and underscore its position at the heart of the national industrial agenda as an active partner in shaping the future of UAE manufacturing.

H.E. Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Growth Fund, stressed that the strength of the UAE economy is based on an integrated system of institutions and investment instruments, each of which operates within a clear path to support growth and enhance the competitiveness of vital sectors.

He added: "During its first year, the Fund has established an effective approach based on effective partnership with founders by strengthening governance frameworks, developing institutional structures, and opening new horizons to access markets, and the quality programs and strategic partnerships concluded by the Fund through the 'Make in the UAE' platform represent a new step in our efforts to enhance the resilience and efficiency of the industrial sector in the UAE and enhance its global competitiveness."

The Emirates Growth Fund officially launched the Growth Pioneers Program on the sidelines of the "Make in the UAE 2026" event, in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and the Ministry of Economy.

The program, which is the Fund's flagship initiative, aims to identify Emirati SMEs with high potential, accelerate their growth and transform them into leading national companies capable of competing locally and globally, by providing growth capital, governance support, strategic guidance, and access to an integrated institutional network.

The program addresses a structural gap that has long prevented the realization of the UAE's industrial ambition, as many promising companies find themselves caught between initial support programs and major industrial policies, without the capital and governance structure and partnerships necessary to penetrate and expand. The Growth Pioneers program came to fill this gap, giving companies the framework they needed and providing the growth capital to make it happen.

The tripartite strategic agreement signed by the Emirates Growth Fund with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC established an integrated national framework to enhance industrial resilience, localize vital supply chains, and open up ADNOC's industrial and energy ecosystem to competitive and expanding Emirati industrial SMEs.

In addition to the tripartite agreement, the fund has partnered with major UAE banks, industry partners and supporters, to establish an integrated support network around the companies it invests in, with the aim of ensuring that no promising Emirati manufacturer is hampered by the lack of financing, banking access, or institutional cohesion.

Khalifa Al Hajri, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Growth Fund, said that this week clearly reflects the purpose for which the Emirates Growth Fund was founded, not only to provide capital, but also to build companies.

"The partnerships we have made, the programme we have launched, and the commitments we have made with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC all serve one goal: to give UAE manufacturers with real potential the growth capital, institutional structure and network that will transform them into the growth leaders on which the UAE's industrial future is based.