Sharjah24 – WAM: Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) reviewed the most important developments and events witnessed by the economic sectors and the measures as well as efforts taken by the Department in all sectors and activities, during the first half of the current year 2022.

This was done to provide a comprehensive tool for dealers in the economic sectors in Sharjah and to familiarise them with the most important results achieved, in confirmation of its efforts aimed at achieving balanced and sustainable economic performance and promoting business continuity in various fields.

Commenting on that, Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi, SEDD Chairman, said that the data issued by the department indicate a significant increase in the investment movement, especially in the issued licences, which are indicators for sustainable growth for the economy of Sharjah. He pointed out that the issuance of these data is one of the important economic indicators that the department relies on to study the economic situation in the emirate.

In addition, Al Suwaidi stressed that SEDD’s strategic objective is to achieve a comprehensive development plan that promotes economic development in Sharjah, by developing services to match the highest international quality standards in terms of speed of delivery and access to dealers in the economic sector and investors in the emirate and striving to complete transactions with ease.

According to SEDD data, the total number of licences issued and renewed in Sharjah during the first half of this year increased by 33,157, with a growth rate of eight percent over the same period in 2021. Thus, the licences issued during the first half of 2022 amounted to 3,858, compared to 3,526 in the first half of last year, with a growth rate of nine percent. On the other hand, the total number of renewed licences during the same period reached 29,299, compared to 27,262 throughout the same period in 2021, a seven percent growth rate.

Fahad Ahmed Al Khamiri, Director of Registration and Licencing Department at SEDD, stated that the data showed that the commercial licences topped others in terms of distribution according to the type of licences issued. Therefore, 2,248 licences were issued during the first half of 2022, followed by 1,273 professional licences, and 161 industrial licences. In fourth place, were 99 "Eitimad" licences, and 77 e-commerce licences in fifth in place.

Regarding renewed licences, commercial licences topped the list, reaching 18,992 during the first half of 2022, followed by 8,718 professional licences. Then there were 1,233 industrial licences, while Eitimad licences touched 306, whereas e-commerce licences amounted to 50.

Al Khamiri added that the results of the emirate's business, including the issuance and renewal of licences, are in line with the general growth in the GDP in Sharjah. Also, he noted that SEDD is working to simplify services and procedures, with the aim of facilitating business registration procedures, issuing licences, and providing greater flexibility for investors and dealers, in the form which allows them to establish their business within a brief period.

Al Khamiri stressed that the growth of licences during the first half of 2022 confirms the strength of the local economy and the attractiveness of the investment environment in the emirate, as the department's initiatives during the last period contributed to promoting business growth and attracting more investments. He also illustrated that SEDD’s figures reflect the confidence of the business sectors in the investment opportunities available in Sharjah's economy.

On the other hand, Khalfan Al Herathi, Director of SEDD Branches, said that the department, in all its branches, completed 33,157 issued and renewed licences during the first half of 2022, according to the data on business licences issued and renewed in the department's branches in the cities and regions of Sharjah.

In detail, the number of issued and renewed licences in Sharjah city reached 26,670 during the first half of this year. The Central Region branch came second with 3,753 licences, while Khor Fakkan branch hit 1,314. Kalba branch amounted to 1,140 licences, while Dibba Al Hisn branch reached 280 licences.

Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director of the Commercial Control and Protection Department at SEDD, explained that the department conducted 81,933 inspection campaigns on various economic establishments in the emirate during the first half of 2022. Al Suwaidi added that SEDD dealt with many cases of consumer complaints, each of which was fully addressed in cooperation with all concerned parties. The department oversaw 5,374 complaints received during the first half of 2022. According to the data, these complaints were distributed, with consumer protection complaints forming the largest share of them at 4,578. They were followed by 477 complaints of commercial fraud, and 319 complaints by service agents.

In detail, consumer protection complaints were distributed to include various sectors, as complaints from the automotive sector and its spare parts recorded 23 percent of the total consumer protection complaints received by SEDD. Also, complaints about mobile phones amounted to 12 percent, complaints about furniture and curtains were seven percent, and complaints about personal services activities amounted to nine percent. In addition, electrical appliances and building materials complaints amounted to six percent, while complaints about tourism, travel and shipping amounted to five percent. Also, other complaints were unevenly distributed among various other economic sectors.

SEDD implements a series of intensive inspection campaigns on sales outlets and shops to ensure the correctness and accuracy of the trade balances used in outlets in local markets. These scales aim to conform to UAE mandatory standards and specifications approved in this field within the department's plans for metrological verification of legal measuring instruments and to ensure their conformity with the country’s technical regulations on weights and scales. This comes within SEDD's supervisory role over the markets in the Emirate and out of its keenness to enhance confidence in the Emirate's markets. Thus, according to SEDD’s data, the total number of calibrated scales amounted to 2,553, and the proportion of compliant scales that conformed to standards was 98 percent of the total calibrated scales.