Make it in the Emirates 2026 has closed with cumulative industrial offtake commitments worth roughly Dh180 billion ($49 billion) pledged over the next decade. The figure adds Dh12 billion ($3.27 billion) to an existing Dh168 billion ($45.73 billion) pipeline and underscores the depth of policy commitment to industrial growth as a structural pillar of the UAE economy.
The four-day event brought together regional industrial conglomerates, federal authorities, sovereign vehicles and major international corporates. Among the announced participants and deal signatories are Abu Dhabi's Ta'ziz, Mubadala Investment Company, Adnoc, Emsteel, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, Edge, Emirates Global Aluminium, telecom operator du and PepsiCo, alongside a long tail of mid-cap and sectoral specialists.
The headline deals
The largest domestic agreement is Abu Dhabi's Ta'ziz pact with the investment conglomerate Alpha Dhabi, which targets around $10 billion in capital investment in the emirate's new industrial-chemicals ecosystem. Ta'ziz also signed global offtake and feedstock agreements worth roughly $28.5 billion, supporting chemicals production in the UAE and anchoring downstream industrial growth.
The chemicals push fits a long-running strategic priority. Petrochemicals and adjacent industries convert oil-and-gas feedstock into higher-value-added goods, capture more of the global manufacturing value chain inside the country and create the technical workforce required for the next wave of industrial capability. Adnoc and Mubadala have both signalled multi-year commitments to scaling the cluster.
Food security and local production
The 2026 summit also unveiled plans to enable Dh2 billion in annual food import substitution through local production. The agenda includes support for up to 200 food factories and a target of 15 to 30 percent increase in local production capacity. The push reflects a broader regional concern with food security after recent shocks across global supply chains.
Beyond food, the localisation push spans more than 5,000 products across multiple sectors. The In-Country Value programme, which now governs significant federal and state-linked procurement, is the operational layer that turns the headline target into contracted revenue for local industry. Operation 300 Billion, the country's overarching industrial blueprint, continues to set the cumulative target at Dh300 billion in industrial GDP contribution by 2031.
What it means
For international manufacturers, the message is clear. The UAE wants partners willing to locate plants and supply chains inside the country, in exchange for demand visibility, financing support and a regulatory environment built around long-cycle investment. For domestic conglomerates, the pipeline implies sustained access to growth capital and a clear policy preference for scale.
For investors evaluating the UAE economy in aggregate, Make it in the Emirates is the clearest annual checkpoint on the industrial diversification story. The 2026 edition confirms that the strategy continues to gather momentum.
