UMM AL QAIWAIN, 26th October, 2026 (WAM) — The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) is continuing to implement its Customer Councils programme, launched earlier this year, to involve manufacturers and investors in the development of government services and simplifying procedures.
The programme supports industrial competitiveness and streamlines business procedures in the UAE, in line with the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology and the Make it in the Emirates initiative.
The Council brought together manufacturers, investors and company representatives. Participants discussed challenges facing the industrial sector, identified priorities for developing and redesigning services, and explored how customer feedback could be translated into practical solutions to reduce unnecessary procedures and requirements, and accelerate transactions.
The Ministry organised the Customer Council at Gulf Craft Shipyard in Umm Al Qaiwain, led by Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Undersecretary of MoIAT, with the participation of Hisham Al Amiri, Deputy Head of Government Services at the Prime Minister’s Office. Al Amiri’s participation reflected the importance of the Council and the alignment of its outcomes with federal government priorities.
The Council focused on identifying challenges factories and investors face when accessing government services. It also explored opportunities to streamline services and procedures, enhance digital integration and data exchange, and deploy Agentic AI to accelerate transactions and improve the customer experience, in line with the objectives of the second phase of the Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme.
The Customer Councils aim to go beyond improving existing procedures by directly involving manufacturers and investors in redesigning government services to strengthen the UAE’s industrial ecosystem.
The Council positions customers as essential partners in developing services and shaping their future. This contributes to eliminating unnecessary requirements, strengthening government integration and deploying Agentic AI to deliver more proactive, efficient and accessible services.
Hasan Jasem Al Nowais affirmed that the development of government services is central to the Ministry’s efforts to enhance industrial competitiveness and attract investment, supporting the objectives of the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology and the Make it in the Emirates initiative. Since their launch this year, the Customer Councils have helped identify several opportunities to enhance government services. The Ministry has implemented several improvements, including merging three industrial services into one and simplifying requirements for industrial permits and customs exemptions, to support the growth and competitiveness of the UAE’s industrial sector.
Hasan Al Nowais said, “Through the Customer Councils, we are establishing an ongoing dialogue with manufacturers and investors across the UAE, understanding the challenges they face and translating their feedback into tangible improvements in government services. Our priority is to remove unnecessary procedures, accelerate transactions and enable factories to focus on production, expansion and growth.”
He added that the Ministry is deploying technology and Agentic AI to develop services and facilitate access for investors and manufacturers. The Ministry follows up on the Customer Councils’ outcomes to identify service development priorities and translate feedback and proposals into practical measures that can be tracked, while measuring progress in simplifying requirements, reducing transaction times, improving service quality and enhancing the customer experience.
The Customer Councils contribute to the objectives of the Zero Government Bureaucracy Program and translate the voice of customers into tangible decisions and changes across government services. The program seeks to transform government operations by eliminating at least 2,000 government procedures, reducing service completion times by at least 50%, and eliminating unnecessary conditions and requirements by redesigning and simplifying services, and eliminating duplicate procedures. The success of these Councils is measured by the changes they bring to the customer journey, including procedures eliminated, requirements reduced and services redesigned from the customer’s perspective.
Hassan Khalid Sabt, Director of the Government Services Department and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, said: “The Ministry’s efforts, informed by engagement with customers, have included merging three industrial services — Initial Approval, Industrial Registry and Industrial Production Permit — into a single service, reducing duplication by 40%. The Ministry has also automated procedures for the National In-Country Value Program Certificate service and strengthened electronic integration and connectivity between certain systems.
“We are focusing on deploying Agentic AI in areas where it can deliver practical value for customers by facilitating access to information and services, accelerating transactions and providing more proactive support. Drawing on customer proposals, the Government Services Department works to turn feedback into practical solutions that simplify procedures, improve the industrial investor journey, and strengthen integration and data exchange with our partners.”
During his welcome speech, Mohammed Hussein Alshaali, Chairman of Gulf Craft Group, said: “We are honoured to host this Customer Council at Gulf Craft Shipyard in Umm Al Quwain. With 44 years of manufacturing experience, we continue to embrace technological innovation to strengthen our capabilities and advance our operations. Our approach to artificial intelligence focuses on empowering our people, improving operational efficiency and, ultimately, building better yachts. Our AI Programme is progressing across three pillars: employee productivity, intelligent business process automation, and excellence in yacht quality, design, engineering and production. Six AI solutions have already been deployed, with several more underway, reflecting our commitment to applying technology in ways that deliver practical value across our business.”
Source: Emirates News Agency