UAE Family Firms Drive 80% Of Private Sector Jobs, 60% Of GDP, Top Executives Say

UAE family enterprises contribute roughly 60 per cent of national GDP and account for more than 80 per cent of the private sector workforce, senior business leaders said on Monday (May 4). They also stressed the need for stronger governance and long-term planning to sustain family-owned companies across generations.

The remarks were made during a panel discussion at the Make in the Emirates Forum 2026 in Abu Dhabi, moderated by Anas Bukhash, CEO and Founder of AB Talk.

Mohamed Al Abbar, CEO of Emaar Properties, opened the session by drawing on lessons from the 2008 financial crisis, Covid-19, and recent geopolitical disruptions. He said businesses that achieved growth rates of between 40 and 70 per cent had paired bold capital decisions with disciplined process and technology management. "You want to grow fast take the money from the table," he said.

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Meanwhile, Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, chairman of Abdulaziz Al Ghurair Group, said crises spanning two world wars, September 11, and the Ukraine conflict had tested institutions but ultimately proved their resilience. "What these crises revealed is the stability of our country and the stability of our institutions," he said, adding that agility and speed of decision-making set family businesses apart during disruption.

Highlighting the role businesses can play during crises, Al Ghurair revealed how his group mobilised daily grain shipments during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, coordinating around 200 trucks from Fujairah to Jebel Ali, and onward by sea to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Dammam. With the UAE importing approximately 8 million tonnes of grain annually, he said the focus was on ensuring regional food security. "Whatever they wanted from our warehouses we told them, it's all yours," he said.

For Ghadah Hussain Al Fardan, president of Al Fardan Jewellery, crises can also be windows for reinvention. "During Covid, I restructured Al Fardan Jewellery and it was the best working period of my life," she said. She is now launching an educational initiative to preserve the UAE's pearl jewellery-making tradition. "This craft cannot disappear. We must preserve it, grow it, and teach it to future generations," she said.

Mohammad Seddiqi, CEO of Seddiqi Holding, said his family spent five years working with PwC to build a formal governance framework, despite initial resistance. Today, only 10 family members work across the business, each held to the same KPIs as any other employee. "Family governance is not just about carrying the name you must produce for the company," he said. A fourth generation has since joined the business.

The session closed with each panellist summarising the UAE in one word: love, safety, vision, and adaptability.

Make in the Emirates Forum 2026 continues through the week at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

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