ADNOC managing director and group CEO Dr Sultan Al Jaber has told the UAE private sector that investing at home is no longer optional, framing domestic investment as a national priority tied to industrial sovereignty (per Khaleej Times and Aaj English).
The message to UAE business
Speaking at the Make It In The Emirates forum, Al Jaber said: investing at home, or direct domestic investment, is no longer an option; it is a priority (per Khaleej Times). He added that putting capital to work inside the UAE means investing in stability, economic sovereignty and the future of generations to come.
What is being put on the table
The call to action was paired with a concrete pipeline. The UAE unveiled what officials described as its most ambitious industrial platform to date, supported by a Dh200 billion project pipeline, expanded procurement opportunities and new plans to localise thousands of products across strategic sectors (per Khaleej Times). Procurement opportunities under the National In-Country Value programme will rise from Dh168 billion to Dh180 billion over the next decade, with localisation targeted at more than 5,000 products.
Industrial policy meets AI
Al Jaber, who also serves as UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said artificial intelligence will become central to the next phase of industrial development. AI will no longer be just a tool in our factories, he said. It will become an industrial brain and a partner in decision-making (per Khaleej Times). The framing positions the UAEs industrial strategy as a combined bet on heavy manufacturing, advanced technology and energy transition rather than on any single pillar.
Wider context
The remarks come as ADNOC and its international investment platform XRG continue to scale up cross-border deals, even as the UAE redoubles efforts to keep capital and high-end manufacturing onshore. Al Jaber separately said that the UAEs decision to exit OPEC and OPEC+ was not directed against anyone but intended to serve national interests, as reported by The Standard.
What it signals for private investors
For UAE-based family groups, listed conglomerates and foreign investors with operations in the country, the speech is a clear policy signal. Government-linked procurement and industrial localisation programmes are being scaled up, and the senior leadership of ADNOC and the industry ministry are publicly tying participation to the longer-term economic agenda. Companies that want to be on the inside of the next wave of UAE industrial contracts now have an explicit invitation, and an explicit expectation.
