Sharjah’s Foreign Direct Investment office, Invest in Sharjah, has announced that port operator Gulftainer will serve as a strategic sponsor for the ninth Sharjah Investment Forum, scheduled for October 14 and 15, under the theme Building Resilient Economies.
The upcoming forum, organized in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Investment at the Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre, brings together decision-makers, business leaders, investors, and experts from across the region and the globe. Discussions will center on resilient economies, sustainable growth, public-private partnerships, digital transformation, and industrial development.
Global Supply Chain Shifts and the 2026 Forum Agenda
Event organizers point out that the forum's core theme responds directly to a changing global business landscape reshaped by geopolitical shifts, technological advancements, and supply chain realignments.
At the same time, broader economic pressures persist. Global foreign direct investment fell by 11% for the second year, according to UN Trade and Development’s World Investment Report 2025, underscoring the urgent need for adaptable policies and investor trust. Meanwhile, World Economic Forum projections indicate that roughly 59% of the workforce will require upskilling by 2030.
The Sharjah Investment Forum represents a prominent platform to enhance dialogue on policies and partnerships that turn challenges into opportunities, and embodies the national work model in which federal and local authorities and the private sector integrate within a single vision. Resilience in the UAE is not a situational response to variables, but rather a strategic choice built on decades of ambitious policies that have made the country one of the best global destinations for investment. Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi, UAE Minister of Investment, via Argaam
Gulftainer’s Two-Billion-Dollar Expansion Strategy
The investment targets ports, shipping, internal logistics, industrial complexes, and AI-supported supply chains.
As part of this rollout, the port operator is advancing the ongoing expansion of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal. The project aims to lift annual capacity from 3.5 million to 5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), with long-term plans exceeding 10 million TEUs.
Integrating Rail, Sea, and Land Logistics in Sharjah
Beyond marine terminal enhancements, the expansion encompasses plans to connect Khor Fakkan directly to the Etihad Rail network. This integration links maritime, road, and rail transport, positioning Sharjah as a regional hub for key trade corridors.
Mohamed Juma Al Mushrkh, Executive Director of Invest in Sharjah, emphasized that practical infrastructure projects set the tone for this year’s discussions.
The strength of the Sharjah Investment Forum lies in its ability to turn dialogue into decisions, and to turn economic visions into projects on the ground. The joining of a global institution of the scale of Gulftainer, which has accumulated nearly five decades of experience in connecting ports and markets around the world, gives the supply chain resilience file that we are presenting this year exceptional credibility, as it is a file supported by actual investments and infrastructure projects being implemented today, not visions postponed to tomorrow. Mohamed Juma Al Mushrkh, Executive Director of Invest in Sharjah, via Zawya
