The Sharjah Excellence Award, in cooperation with the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Youth Council, organised a panel discussion for youth titled “Promising opportunities… inspired investment” to address the role of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in boosting the Sharjah business sector, with a special focus on the Eastern Region. In addition, the session provided an overview of favourable investment opportunities available to entrepreneurs in the region, and key strategies to augment the role of startups across the Emirate and its regions.

The discussion was held attended by H.E. Mohamed Hilal and H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Mulla, members of the SCCI Board of Directors, as well as H.E. Khalil Al Mansouri, Director of Expo Khor Fakkan and Director of Branch Management at the SCCI. A large number of entrepreneurs, including owners of existing ventures and innovators looking to establish new ones, participated in the event.

During the panel discussion, moderated by TV Presenter Omar Ahmed from the Al Sharqiya Channel, six main themes were presented by entrepreneurs Hamad Al Shamsi, owner of 7md Store, Talib Albali, owner of the Arabian Gulf Diving Company, Sultan Jamaouh, owner of Anchor Café, and Hamad Al Hosani, owner of Nafs Fitness Centre. The four business leaders reviewed several noteworthy experiences across different fields within the entrepreneurial community of Sharjah and its various regions, highlighting their main features. They also discussed the support offered by the government and businessmen in the Eastern Region, the function youth enterprises serve in boosting the business community, the importance of installing diverse entrepreneurial projects in the Eastern Region and their role in promoting an investment culture, the skills and qualities required for an entrepreneur, and the key challenges faced by entrepreneurs and startups.

According to the SCCI, the event was organised to meet the Chamber’s ambition of attracting entrepreneurs and SME owners to participate in the Sharjah Excellence Award, with the goal of supporting their projects and reinforcing positive practices, especially given the importance of such projects as the main drivers of national economies. The discussion served to expose participants to the latest best practices in entrepreneurship both nationally and globally, encouraging them to engage in entrepreneurial ventures in the Eastern Region, where promising investment opportunities abound across different sectors. In addition, it familiarised them with the skills and qualities required for entrepreneurs, the main and most vital steps to launching new ventures, and mechanisms and strategies that must be followed when starting out in the world of entrepreneurship to ensure success.