Sharjah Tatweer Forum sheds light on the importance of private public partnership in driving the local economy

Sharjah Tatweer Forum (Tatweer), an initiative formed under a decree issued by H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the UAE Supreme Council, Thursday, January 18, 2006 held a gala dinner at Expo Center Sharjah as part of its strategy to introduce the Forum's goals, shed light on the role of private sector companies in achieving sustainable development and stress the importance of partnerships between the private and public sectors.

The focus of the gathering was on the role of the private sector in ensuring the emirate's socio-economic progress and sustainable development and on the importance of private -public sector partnership. The dinner also served as a platform to highlight Tatweer programmes aimed at sharing best practices and promoting a closer working relationship between public and private sector organisations.

Hussain Al-Mahmoudi, Chairman of Sharjah Tatweer Forum said, "We are keen to organising seminars and workshops to highlight the Forum and its objectives. Today's event will encourage private sector companies to enter strategic partnerships with public sector concerns to facilitate sustainable development in the emirate. Even though the Forum was only recently formed, we have been able to successfully undertake several projects and activities including the launch of the first round of the Tatweer Leadership Programme that we initiated with the objective of nurturing young talent to lead future business initiatives. We have also organised several workshops and seminars that promote closer working relationships between young talent and the different sectors to ensure the establishment of an active society that supports the sustainable development of Sharjah on all levels. Moreover, we have also introduced diverse programmes that promote what Sharjah has to offer in terms of commerce, industry, tourism, culture and education."

Partnerships between the private and public sector is expected to promote policy areas such as education, health, human rights, science and technology, foreign relations, arts and culture. Co-operation in financing, designing, building and ongoing maintenance of infrastructure and delivery of associated services also facilitates modern, efficient infrastructure.

"We launched the Private Public Partnership Programme in Sharjah to encourage the private sector to play a greater role in the economic and social activities in the Emirate and assist in building human capital. It also aims to promote closer working relationships and sharing of best practices between organisations from both public and private sectors. The programme is set to promote the emirate of Sharjah, establish better communication channels between public and private organisations and create an attractive working environment to attract regional and international investors. The programme includes several sessions which provide an effective networking environment for participants to share best practices and experiences that support the competitive advantages of organisations."

Sharjah is a successful model for successful private-public sector partnership, as it is now considered a regional base for all economic sectors and is attracting a growing number of regional and international investors. The emirate is witnessing massive growth across all sectors, particularly tourism, commerce and industry.