Dubai steps up efforts with businesses, global partners to keep trade moving

Dubai has intensified coordination with the private sector and key international partners to keep trade moving and companies operational, holding more than 62 meetings with business councils and engaging directly with chambers in markets such as China and India, Dubai Chambers said. The interventions, outlined in a video shared by Dubai Media Office and reported by SM Ayaz Zakir, are focused on identifying sectoral challenges, proposing solutions and ensuring continuity across critical supply chains.

"We have held more than 62 meetings with business councils to ensure continuity and flexibility of business in Dubai," said Mohammed Ali Lootah, president and CEO of Dubai Chambers.

Coordination and problem-solving

Lootah said the meetings serve to surface challenges faced by different sectors, which are then discussed with specialists and escalated to government committees. "We identify challenges, discuss solutions with specialists, and then raise them along with proposed solutions to government committees working around the clock," he said, emphasising the structured approach taken to manage disruptions.

• More than 62 meetings held with business councils to maintain business continuity;
• Over 270 major companies, family businesses and key firms participated in workshops with logistics operators;
• Early engagement targeted fruit and vegetable traders, food manufacturers and the logistics sector;
• Direct contact maintained with chambers of commerce in markets such as China and India to preserve the flow of goods.

Highlighting the role of small and medium enterprises, Lootah noted the makeup of Dubai’s private sector: "About 98 per cent of Dubai’s private sector companies are SMEs, and this entrepreneurial spirit gives the city a high level of flexibility." He added that the private sector has repeatedly adapted in prior shocks: "In every past challenge, from Covid19 to the 2008 financial crisis, the private sector in Dubai has always found solutions."

Sector focus and industry participation

Among the first groups to be engaged were fruit and vegetable traders, food manufacturers and logistics companies, Lootah said. Multiple workshops were convened with logistics firms, and industry participation was strong: "More than 270 major companies, family businesses and key firms in Dubai took part to help address challenges in real time with major operators in the emirate," he said.

Lootah framed the public-private effort as coordinated and unified: "There is strong harmony between the government and private sector, it gives you a sense that there is a ‘Team Dubai’ working together to ensure business continuity."

Outlook

Dubai Chambers said discussions with overseas chambers are ongoing to improve trade mechanisms and enhance exchanges under current circumstances. "We have been in direct contact with chambers of commerce in key markets such as China and India to ensure the continued flow of goods," Lootah said. "We are also looking at ways to enhance trade exchange, especially under the current circumstances."

The combination of targeted sector engagement, large-scale industry workshops and direct diplomatic and commercial outreach aims to sustain Dubai’s supply chains and business operations as conditions evolve. Dubai Chambers’ coordinated approach signals ongoing collaboration between government bodies and private-sector stakeholders to manage disruptions and keep trade moving.