Programme Objectives and Scope
Operation 300bn is the UAE’s comprehensive industrial strategy designed to increase the industrial sector’s contribution to GDP from approximately AED 133 billion at launch to AED 300 billion by 2031. The programme represents the federation’s most ambitious effort to diversify the economy beyond hydrocarbons by building a globally competitive manufacturing base. It targets growth across pharmaceuticals, food processing, machinery and equipment, base metals, aerospace components, chemicals, and advanced materials. The strategy is structured around four pillars: attracting foreign direct investment in manufacturing, supporting existing industrial firms to scale and adopt advanced technology, developing national industrial champions, and integrating UAE manufacturers into global supply chains.
Key Targets and KPIs
The programme’s headline target is to more than double industrial GDP contribution to AED 300 billion by 2031. Supporting KPIs include increasing the number of factories operating in the UAE by 25 percent, raising the technology intensity of industrial output, growing non-oil industrial exports significantly, and increasing the sector’s contribution to national employment. The National In-Country Value (ICV) programme, which incentivises procurement from UAE-based suppliers, serves as a demand-side mechanism to support domestic industrial output. Additional targets focus on raising R&D expenditure in the industrial sector and increasing Emiratisation rates in manufacturing roles.
Implementation Status and Progress
Since launch, Operation 300bn has deployed multiple implementation mechanisms. The Industrial Technology Transformation Index tracks factory-level adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies. MoIAT has established partnerships with major global manufacturers to localise production in the UAE, with notable successes in pharmaceuticals, building materials, and food processing. The programme has supported the expansion of industrial zones in Abu Dhabi (KIZAD, ICAD), Dubai (JAFZA, Dubai Industrial City), and the Northern Emirates (RAK Industrial, Sharjah industrial areas). By 2025, industrial GDP had risen to approximately AED 197 billion, indicating meaningful progress but highlighting the scale of acceleration still required to reach the 2031 target.
Lead and Supporting Institutions
The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) leads the programme, with direct oversight from the UAE Cabinet. Supporting institutions include the Emirates Development Bank (EDB), which provides concessional financing to industrial firms; the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development; the Dubai Industrial Strategy team; and the federal Competitive Industrial Strategy Committee. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Dubai FDI play critical roles in attracting foreign manufacturers to establish UAE operations.
Relationship to We the UAE 2031 Pillars
Operation 300bn is a cornerstone of the Economy Pillar of We the UAE 2031, directly supporting the objective of building a diversified, knowledge-intensive, and globally competitive economy. The programme intersects with the sustainability pillar through its emphasis on clean manufacturing and energy-efficient industrial processes, and with the society pillar through its Emiratisation targets in industrial employment. The programme also supports the global engagement pillar by positioning the UAE as an export hub for manufactured goods to markets across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.
Funding and Resource Allocation
The programme is supported by a combination of federal budget allocations, emirate-level industrial incentive programmes, and development finance. The Emirates Development Bank has committed billions in industrial financing facilities. Abu Dhabi’s industrial incentive packages through ADIO include subsidised land, utilities, and co-investment in capital equipment. Dubai offers similar incentive structures through its industrial city free zones. The total investment mobilisation target across public and private sources is not publicly aggregated, but individual emirate-level commitments and EDB lending volumes indicate capital deployment well in excess of AED 50 billion since programme launch.