With a promising future ahead of it, the emirate of Fujairah has seen excellent growth, expanding its economy by about one third since 2021, and currently showing year-on-year growth of around 8%.
Its historical mining industry has benefitted from the recent and ongoing construction boom in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, and its enterprise and commerce sectors continue to grow and thrive. But Fujairah also occupies an important strategic location; with an eastern coastline on the Gulf of Oman, it’s the only emirate with direct access to the Indian Ocean, giving shipping vessels access to the UAE market without having to transit through the Straits of Hormuz.
Fujairah Plan 2040 has driven the development of Fujairah’s port and anchorage, with further expansion of container, dry-bulk and oil terminals. With housing and transport infrastructure featuring heavily, the Plan’s principal aim is to cater to its anticipated population growth, which is expected to rise from just over 300,00 in 2022, to over half a million by 2040. At Fujairah’s international airport, major expansion programmes to support the growth of the emirate’s economy include runway, taxiway and apron expansion, as well as additional cargo and passenger facilities. As the emirate’s economy continues to grow, Fujairah International Airport recorded a 22% increase in flights last year. All of which has helped catapult the emirate’s GDP to AED 27 billion in 2023.
Outside of business and commerce, the emirate’s quality of life sets it apart as a premier destination for travellers. Renowned for its scuba diving, Fujairah also boasts Indian-Ocean beaches, oases, mountains and waterfalls, alongside historic sites like the Heritage Village and Al Bidya Mosque. Known for its fair weather, its eastern coast gives it a more moderate climate than neighbouring emirates.
In short, it’s a great place to live and work.
Strategic leadership
Founded in 2007, Fujairah Creative City (FCC) is one of the emirate’s two free zones, and was created to answer the specific needs of organisations in the creative media and digital sector. And that focus on creating a business-friendly and competitive environment for the media and creative arts has been supercharged since the arrival of Salem Ali Marshood Alhefeiti at the helm.
As Director General of the Media Free Zone: Creative City from 2023 onwards, he has developed FCC into a vibrant media and digital ecosystem for entrepreneurs, startups and SMEs in entertainment, music, marketing, creative design and tech, as well as comms, education, consultancy, film and TV and more.
But how have the actions of Salem Ali Marshood Alhefeiti attracted so many entrepreneurs and enterprises to FCC? And what incentives exist to keep attracting businesses and individuals to set up and live in this buzzing media and digital hub, just an hour and a half’s drive from Dubai?
Salem Ali Marshood Alhefeiti was appointed Director General of the Media Free Zone – Creative City in 2023 by H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah.
Under Marshood Alhefeiti’s leadership, FCC has taken huge strides in a short space of time to further develop Creative City as the go-to hub for commerce and enterprise in the UAE. Under his strategic direction, FCC has implemented far-reaching new policies to deliver, among other things, the automation of services to drastically speed up transaction processes.
Marshood Alhefeiti has drastically improved the sales, marketing, and compliance departments of the free zone, and as a result, there’s been a marked increase in overall client satisfaction with FCC.
His efforts and experience have helped expand FCC’s operations, and he was the driving force behind a recent dual-licensing agreement. Sealed in October at GITEX Global 2024, it represents a promising partnership between Creative City and the Fujairah Municipality.
FCC incentives for entrepreneurs
Creative ecosystem
As touched on briefly above, FCC caters to freelancers and entrepreneurs like graphic designers, advertising and marketing professionals, writers, architects, artists, film and TV producers, interior designers and fashion designers, and many more in the creative industries. In fact, more than 2,000 business activities within the digital, media and creative industries are covered, and they all have access to FCC-specific benefits designed to attract yet more creative talent into Fujairah Creative City.
Dual licencing
A recent development now means that expansion and scaling for entrepreneurial investors is further enhanced by the ability to operate across multiple jurisdictions. A new dual-licensing agreement will help support long-term growth in the emirate. That’s in addition to legal, financial and networking support, along with training and development opportunities, all of which are made possible by FCC’s “Growing Together” initiative. Further support comes in the form of specialist equipment loans, which means that startups can access art production equipment without huge early capital investment in expensive kit.
Virtual office
Virtual offices mean there’s no need for a physical presence in FCC, and Creative City licence holders also enjoy use of a choice of FCC Dubai business centres, as well as a registered address in Dubai. This means that investors with little time to spend in the emirate, and who enter via the international airports of Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah, for example, can enjoy some freedom and flexibility in their operations if they can’t make the trip to the eastern coast.
Infrastructure, connectivity & global access
That said, FCC has invested heavily in world-class digital infrastructure, communications and connectivity and, as a result, boasts modern high-tech facilities that offer seamless connectivity for business owners choosing to have a physical presence in FCC. What’s more, access to global markets and talent is helped by its close proximity to international air links and ports.
UAE-wide startup ecosystem
Generous and targeted UAE-wide government incentives exist across the board for startups and SMEs in all sectors, with the aim of driving and supporting the UAE government’s long-term strategic plan and vision to make SMEs the very backbone of a fast-diversifying and strengthening economy. As a result, there are now around half a million SMEs in the UAE, employing more than 40% of the country’s workforce. With a staggering success story like that, it’ll come as little surprise that the government has its sights set on one million SMEs within 5 years.
A bright future
FCC offers a range of licences that, by offering flexibility and affordability, compete favourably with many Dubai-based free zones. Fujairah Creative City’s unique infrastructure, incentives and facilities for company headquartering are proving a magnet to the creative industries. Alongside its strategic location, population and tourism growth, as well as its industrial, trade and commercial development, Fujairah emirate and FCC offer unrivalled opportunities as the go-to hub for the creative industries looking for flexibility and a competitive edge.
