Make it in the Emirates 2026 announces Emirates Global Aluminium as Sector Partner for fifth edition

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has been named the Advanced Manufacturing, AI, and Industry 4.0 Sector Partner for Make it in the Emirates 2026, organisers announced. The fifth edition of the UAE’s flagship industrial event will be held at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 4 to 7 May 2026. The event is organised by ADNEC Group, a Modon company, and hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MOIAT) in association with the Ministry of Culture, Abu Dhabi Investment Office and ADNOC.

"Make it in the Emirates serves as a launchpad for industrial progress, connecting local manufacturers and emerging start-ups with international investors, policymakers and global buyers," the organisers said in the announcement.

EGA’s selection as sector partner underscores the company’s central role in the UAE industrial ecosystem. As described in the release, EGA is the UAE’s largest industrial company outside the oil and gas sector and the world’s largest premium aluminium producer. The company traces its roots to 1975 when it was founded as Dubai Aluminium by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and grew from a single smelter in 1979 with a capacity of 135,000 tonnes to an annual output exceeding 2.75 million tonnes. In 2025, EGA sold 2.84 million tonnes of cast metal.

The announcement highlights EGA’s integrated footprint: aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah, a speciality foundry in Germany and a recycling plant in the United States. EGA is equally owned by Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi and the Investment Corporation of Dubai, and counts more than 400 customers in over 50 countries.

Localisation, procurement and partnerships

EGA has positioned localisation and supply-chain strengthening at the centre of its strategy. In 2025 the company spent over AED 9 billion on locally procured goods and services, representing 42% of its total expenditures. Value-added products represented 81% of EGA’s cast metal sales that year, and around 10% of its production was sold domestically to roughly 20 downstream aluminium companies.

Make it in the Emirates has previously served as a platform for such industrial tie-ups: during the 2025 edition, EGA signed a joint development agreement with Sunstone, described in the release as the world’s largest independent anode producer, to develop an anode manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, with construction set to begin in 2026. The move was cited as a milestone in localising inputs and enhancing supply-chain resilience.

Event scope and organisers

• Event: Make it in the Emirates 2026
• Dates: 4–7 May 2026
• Venue: ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi
• Organiser: ADNEC Group (a Modon company)
• Hosts and partners: Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MOIAT), Ministry of Culture, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, ADNOC

Organisers describe Make it in the Emirates as a driver of industrial growth that promotes advanced manufacturing technologies and supports the UAE’s economic diversification agenda. EGA’s participation is framed as advancing sustainable manufacturing: the company employs over 7,000 people, including more than 1,300 UAE Nationals, and the broader aluminium sector supports more than 56,000 jobs. EGA’s aluminium is cited as the second largest made-in-the-UAE export after oil and gas.

With EGA onboard as sector partner, Make it in the Emirates 2026 aims to deepen industry collaboration, accelerate the localisation of critical industries and create pathways for new UAE-based suppliers to plug into global value chains.