ADEX deepens export push for manufacturers

Abu Dhabi Exports Office has begun direct site visits to UAE-based manufacturers under its AED1 billion financing partnership with Emirates Development Bank, stepping up efforts to link industrial companies with export funding, working capital support and market-expansion tools.

The visits covered MEDECO, Star Paper Mill and Dana Steel, three manufacturers operating in sectors closely tied to the country’s localisation and export-growth agenda. ADEX teams met company leadership to review production capacity, expansion plans, export ambitions, supply-chain pressures and liquidity requirements, as the financing framework moves from policy design to company-level engagement.

The programme is aimed at manufacturers and exporters across priority sectors including advanced manufacturing, food security, healthcare, renewable energy and other strategic industries. Its purpose is to give companies access to integrated financial solutions that can support capital expenditure, export readiness, short-term liquidity and international market entry.

The site visits mark a shift towards closer monitoring of factory-level requirements at a time when manufacturers are seeking to scale output while managing freight disruption, input-cost volatility and tighter competition in overseas markets. The exercise is also intended to help ADEX and EDB assess where financing can be targeted to improve supply-chain resilience and strengthen the ability of UAE-based producers to compete abroad.

The AED1 billion framework was structured to combine EDB’s industrial financing mandate with ADEX’s export-finance role. A first tranche of AED367 million has already been extended to eight UAE-based entities, supporting capacity expansion and export capability across several strategic sectors. The facility is available to manufacturers with active or planned export operations, with particular emphasis on companies that can demonstrate national economic impact.

Ahmed Mohamed Al Naqbi, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Development Bank, said the partnership was designed to go beyond the provision of capital by improving understanding of manufacturers’ ground-level needs. He said direct engagement with businesses provides insight into operational realities, supply-chain challenges and liquidity requirements, allowing financial products to be shaped around practical industry conditions.

Khalil Al Mansoori, Executive Director of ADEX, said the visits reflected the office’s commitment to strengthening engagement with manufacturers and gaining first-hand knowledge of the requirements of national industries. He linked the initiative to industrial localisation, export readiness and the wider effort to reinforce the UAE’s position as a competitive industrial and export hub.

The manufacturers visited reflect the breadth of the target base. MEDECO operates in the healthcare manufacturing space, Star Paper Mill is linked to paper and hygiene-related production, while Dana Steel is part of the country’s metals and building-materials supply chain. Their inclusion signals that export-finance support is being directed not only at high-technology industries but also at established manufacturing segments that feed construction, healthcare, packaging and regional trade channels.

The initiative sits within the UAE’s broader industrial strategy, which seeks to raise the industrial sector’s contribution to gross domestic product to AED300 billion by 2031. Export finance has become a central component of that plan because domestic production targets require access to foreign buyers, larger order books and reliable credit lines that can support longer payment cycles in international trade.

Non-oil trade momentum has strengthened the case for deeper export-financing support. The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade crossed AED3.8 trillion in 2025, while non-oil exports showed strong growth during the year. The final quarter alone recorded non-oil trade of about AED1.1 trillion, with non-oil exports reaching AED234.4 billion. That performance has increased pressure on financing institutions to provide tools that help manufacturers convert production capacity into sustained overseas sales.

The operating environment remains uneven. Exporters are benefiting from new trade agreements, logistics infrastructure and policy support, but many face higher shipping costs, supply delays and competition from larger manufacturing economies. Financing gaps can be especially challenging for small and medium-sized manufacturers, which often need working capital before export revenue is realised. The ADEX-EDB structure is intended to address that gap through liquidity support and export-linked facilities.