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The Sharjah FDI Office, operating as Invest in Sharjah, has entered a formal agreement with Alef Group to deepen ties between public authorities and the private sector in driving investment into the emirate, according to a report by the Emirates News Agency. The memorandum of understanding focuses on joint efforts to identify and promote opportunities across key sectors including real estate, logistics and advanced manufacturing while streamlining processes for incoming investors. Officials from both sides described the pact as a step toward leveraging Alef Group’s on-the-ground development expertise to support Sharjah’s broader economic diversification goals.
Alef Group, which manages an asset base valued at roughly AED 12 billion, has established itself as a leading lifestyle developer in Sharjah since its founding in 2013, the company said in an overview of its operations. The group has delivered more than 2,000 residential units through projects such as Al Mamsha and Hayyan while maintaining a pipeline that includes the recently launched AED 4 billion Linar waterfront development featuring 2,620 units across multiple high-rise towers. Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, chief executive of Alef Group, has repeatedly highlighted the developer’s commitment to integrated communities that blend residential, retail and leisure spaces in line with Sharjah’s urban growth objectives.
Foreign direct investment into Sharjah reached AED 7.74 billion in 2025, marking an 8.8 percent increase from the prior year, with the number of projects rising 45 percent to 142 and generating 5,673 new jobs, according to data compiled by the Sharjah FDI Office from fDi Markets. Consumer-related sectors such as food and beverages along with general consumer products accounted for nearly half of those foreign projects, reflecting sustained demand from both new entrants and expanding businesses. Roughly 75 percent of the 2025 investment schemes have already become operational, a conversion rate that the Sharjah FDI Office said demonstrates the emirate’s efficient business environment and supportive regulatory framework.
The partnership with Alef Group is expected to help channel private capital into priority areas that align with Sharjah’s competitive advantages, including its strategic location between major Gulf markets and its established infrastructure, a Sharjah FDI Office assessment found. Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, chief executive of the Sharjah FDI Office, has identified India, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy as leading source markets while signaling plans to target additional opportunities in technology, clean energy and innovation-driven industries. Such collaboration, according to the office, will contribute to the emirate’s record of 331 combined domestic and foreign projects in 2025 that together attracted AED 12.8 billion and created nearly 12,000 positions.
Alef Group’s latest milestones include awarding AED 750 million in construction contracts for the final phase of its Hayyan community, which will add more than 700 residential units along with a mall, clubhouse and extensive public realm improvements, the developer announced earlier this year. With 97 percent of Hayyan inventory already sold, the project underscores investor confidence that the new agreement with Invest in Sharjah aims to replicate across additional segments of the economy. Ayman Alhammadi, senior vice president for projects delivery at Alef Group, stated that steady progress on such developments signals strong belief in Sharjah’s real estate trajectory and its wider market potential.
Sharjah’s investment promotion efforts have increasingly emphasized public-private models to accelerate project delivery while maintaining high standards for sustainability and community integration, the Sharjah FDI Office reported. The memorandum with Alef Group forms part of a wider strategy that has seen the emirate expand its outreach to both established regional players and international investors seeking stable returns in a diversified non-oil economy. Combined domestic and foreign investment activity in 2025 already points to balanced growth between greenfield projects and expansions by existing operators.
