Integral to the planning and development of Sharjah's commercial infrastructure, following the oil boom in 1971, the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established.

From the beginning the SCCI sought to create a strong non-oil sector to lay a comprehensive foundation for sharjah's economy. More than twenty years later, this policy is paying off. The Petrochemical Industry is well-developed, as well as the Textile & Leather, Basic Nonmetal, Foodstuff and Wood Industries.

Currently, the industrial sector contributes about 9.6% of the Emirate's GDP. The push to shift Sharjah into a redistribution and re-export hub for the fast growing Middle East market has proved itself equally rewarding.

The SCCI gives full support to investors at all stages. It offers technical advice and assistance in the preparation of preliminary viability studies. Its Industrial Development Department provides assistance at the operational stage, conducts market surveys and assesses the progress of any enterprise. It also recommends optional methods of production and suggests ways and means of avoiding difficulties.

With the implementation of a comprehensive Data Bank, Sharjah has added a major asset to its services. The Data Bank contains a voluminous and diverse amount of information regarding local, regional and international business-related activities e.g. a world -wide directory of trade fairs and exhibitions, details on international chambers of commerce, business opportunities in Sharjah and elsewhere.

To complement the Data Bank, the SCCI have introduced a hi-tech on-line information service network - the Sharjah Information Guide. It gives access to a wide scope of information - ranging from trade to tourism, from addresses to maps, from banks to bazaars. The touch screen system makes the guide easily accessible and user-friendly.

In the early '90's, the Sharjah Government developed an enlightened plan to set up eleven industrial zones - executed by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry - to give an extra boost to the development of industry and to encourage industrial investors. This has resulted in a tailor-made model industrial zone with state-of-the-art facilities, infrastructure and utilities. It has been set up west of the city, covering 26 sq. kms., with 2,649 individual plots of between 10,000 and 20,000 sq. ft. An ideal location with first-class road links to Sharjah's air and seaports. There is an efficient drainage system and the excellent power and water supplies are subsidized by as much as 70%. As the SCCI is a nonprofit organization, plots can be purchased at cost price.