The National Defense Companies Council (NDCC), a group created by Tawazun Economic Council with membership drawn from UAE private and public sectors, and the American Business Group of Abu Dhabi (AmCham Abu Dhabi), the leading trade association for US businesses based in Abu Dhabi, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the defense industry.
Signed in Abu Dhabi by Mohamed Helal Al Muhairi, Chairman of the NDCC Managing Committee, and Sharief Fahmy, Chairman of AmCham Abu Dhabi, the MoU is aimed at boosting collaboration and identifying business opportunities between and among NDCC and AmCham Abu Dhabi Defense Committee members in the field of supporting and developing defense industries.
Following the signing, Al Muhairi said the MoU was in line with the NDCC’s objectives of liaising and facilitating joint projects between national defense contractors and international partners and contributing to the expansion of the defense manufacturing sector.
“We are pleased to enter into this collaboration with AmCham Abu Dhabi, and we sincerely hope that it will reflect positively on creating more business opportunities, exchanging expertise and sharing best practices between UAE and US businesses,’’ he added.
Sharief Fahmy said the Defense Committee’s purpose is to promote closer association among resident aerospace and defense companies. The Committee enhances aerospace and defense business by improving government-to-industry relationships and industry-to-industry partnerships and increasing understanding of US and the UAE’s security priorities and regulations.
“The membership of the AmCham Abu Dhabi Defense Committee represents a diverse range of US companies with vast defense industrial expertise and experience. We are honored that the NDCC has partnered with AmCham Abu Dhabi in the first MOU with an Abu Dhabi based business and trade association, and we believe this partnership will accelerate expansion of the UAE’s defense industrial base while strengthening UAE-US business relations,” he stated.
The NDCC, which is empowered by the Tawazun Economic Council, acts as a backbone for the national defense industry and creates channels for effective communication between the local defense contractors and international industry players to offer potential business opportunities that would serve the interests of the country.
Part of the Council’s strategy is to exchange ideas and share their experiences with their counterparts to strengthen the relations between industries and support SME development programs.
The partnership between the NDCC and the AmCham Abu Dhabi Defense Committee falls in line with AmCham Abu Dhabi’s mission to promote commerce, investment, and goodwill between its membership, the US, and the UAE. Strategic cooperation between the NDCC and the AmCham Abu Dhabi Defense Committee will accelerate achievement of shared UAE-US objectives, and further strengthen relations.
