Dubai/Bhubaneswar: Presenting Odisha as an emerging global manufacturing and tech powerhouse, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday invited UAE investors to partner in the state’s next phase of industrial development.
Addressing the Odisha Investors’ Meet – UAE 2026 in Dubai, the Chief Minister sought to pitch Odisha as an emerging destination for investments in green energy, advanced manufacturing, metals, technology and other high-growth sectors.
The high-profile event was attended by over 400 investors, business leaders and members of the UAE business community. Majhi highlighted Odisha’s natural resources, ports, industrial infrastructure, skilled manpower and improving investment ecosystem.
The roadshow identified investment opportunities in LNG storage, green energy, AI-enabled data centres, rare earths, ship repair, propellant manufacturing, fertilisers and chemicals, housing, steel and downstream industries.
The Chief Minister sought to present Odisha not merely as a resource-rich state but as a manufacturing and value-addition hub, leveraging its established metals ecosystem, ports and industrial base.
Speaking on the occasion, Industries minister Sampad Chandra Swain told investors that the government was working on the principles of “Speed, Certainty and Execution”, assuring prospective investors of support at different stages of project implementation.
The investor outreach followed a series of high-level industry engagements during Majhi’s three-day UAE visit, including meetings with global aluminium major Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the Bureau of Middle East Recycling Association and JSW Group.
Majhi visited EGA’s facility at Jebel Ali, where he witnessed advanced aluminium production technologies and discussed global practices in the sector. The visit also highlighted the technology licence partnership between NALCO and EGA, aimed at combining EGA’s technological expertise with NALCO’s established aluminium manufacturing base in Odisha.
Officials said the partnership is expected to support modernisation, capacity expansion, low-carbon production and higher-value aluminium products. Majhi also invited EGA to explore opportunities in Odisha’s downstream aluminium ecosystem, including the Angul Aluminium Park.
At a separate industry roundtable with representatives of the Bureau of Middle East Recycling Association and JSW Group, discussions focused on metal recycling, resource efficiency, circular economy and value-added manufacturing. Odisha sought investment and technology collaboration in metal recycling, secondary aluminium and steel, advanced material recovery and circular-economy technologies, arguing that its existing metals ecosystem could provide a foundation for a globally competitive recycling industry.
On the final day of his UAE visit, CM Majhi also held one-on-one meetings with industry leaders to discuss investment opportunities across sectors and sought greater participation by UAE-based businesses in Odisha’s growth story.
The Chief Minister also interacted with members of the Odia diaspora in the UAE and discussed their contribution to Odisha’s economic development and ways to strengthen their engagement with the state.
