Sharjah FDI Forum to highlight investors’ roles in Industry 4.0

Dubai: The upcoming edition of Sharjah FDI Forum on November 11 — 12, will turn the spotlight on how Industry 4.0’s technology-driven outputs can be harnessed by investors by capitalising on the lucrative investment opportunities in the sector.

The Forum this year will discuss how the 4th industrial revolution will not just ensure business profitability and high Return On Investment (ROI), but also fulfil important socioeconomic goals like sustainability, preservation of market resources, increasing job opportunities, facilitating people’s access to quality health care, and more — in order to create an inclusive, human-centred future.

Beyond just technology

“It’s been reiterated by the Global Competitiveness Report 2019 that those countries with a holistic approach to socioeconomic challenges have set themselves to get ahead in the race to the frontier,” said Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq).

Sharjah FDI Forum will convene top-tier government leaders, financial and digital technology experts, and investment consultants from almost 10 different sectors to share thought leadership and insights on how businesses can position themselves, maximise returns and champion sustainable development in the age of Industry 4.0.

“This revolution is not just about drones, self-driving cars or complete automation. Studies have shown that productivity gains from ‘smart manufacturing’, ‘smart factories’, the application of ‘industrial IoT’, in one industry can lower production costs in others. This opens up new employment opportunities across sectors — and this is only one example. The real opportunity is to look beyond technology, and find ways to allow governments, businesses and people the greatest number of opportunities to benefit themselves and their surroundings,” said Al Sarkal.

Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), said the forum will seek to set the record straight in light of the ongoing debate on the fate of jobs, highlight the importance of responsive economic reforms, strong commitments and collaboration between government, business and industry stakeholders to optimise supply chains and logistics by leveraging latest technologies, analyse fintech and the sustainability of digital currency, and discuss how to educate and re-skill the workforce for our digital future.

“These discussions are at the heart of Sharjah’s investment strategy. We are focused on building a knowledge economy characterised by sustainable development and value-added investments coming into the health care, education, infrastructure and information technology sectors. The ROI on such investment will have added benefits for our economy and also support the achievement of the UN SDGs”, said Al Musharrkh.