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Sharjah’s neighbour and sister emirate, Dubai, is the centre of the Middle Eastern start-up economy, but Sharjah is also developing a culture of entrepreneurship, bolstered by support from the authorities, its well-developed education sector and its lower cost base.

The introduction of a flat 5% value-added tax on January 1, 2018 is part of ongoing efforts to boost government revenue and increase the overall transparency of the market. Although still in its early days, the move comes against a backdrop of positive sentiment among business leaders, as shown in the second iteration of Oxford Business Group’s...

The economy of Sharjah is highly diversified by regional standards, with oil and gas contributing less than 6% to GDP, and no individual sector accounting for more than 20%. The emirate has had particular success in developing its industrial and manufacturing sector through a network of free zones and industrial zones that continues to develop...

When it comes to sharing and promoting Arab art and culture, Sharjah has been reaching out to the rest of world for decades. In 1998 the emirate founded the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture, and in 2006 Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah, established the Sharjah Museums Project. This has since grown into a complex of...

Accounting for just over 3% of the territory of the UAE, Sharjah is the federation’s third-largest emirate, and has long played an important cultural and economic role in the region. Home to seven existing or developing free zones, around 30 museums and various annual festivals that attract visitors from around the world, the emirate continues...

For the nations of the GCC, the drop in oil prices highlighted something many already knew: there is a pressing need for economic diversification and to further engage with global partners across different markets. To this end, countries in the region have made efforts to expand their international role and reach in recent years, with trade...