Sharjah Publishing City opened for international intelligentsia

H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Monday inaugurated the Sharjah Publishing City, SPC. The major project from Sharjah Book Authority, SBA, aims to provide an investment environment for publishers from around the world through its provision of world-class publishing services that include printing, licencing and distribution.

Extending over 40,000 square metres, SPC provides 300 furnished offices for business owners and publishers and an area of 6,000 metres for investors who wish to create their own spaces. The city includes more than 20 meeting rooms, stores, service facilities, a data centre, a public administration branch of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Sharjah and an array of other services that have been tailor-made for publishers.

The opening saw His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah tour SPC’s offices and facilities and Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, give a brief about the city and its services. Included in the brief was the capacity of the city in its first phase, which can accommodate up to 550 publishing institutions, with its data centre platform containing the content of 16 million books in different languages in a format that publishers can easily reprint, update and modify.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah also witnessed two signing ceremonies during the inauguration, the first between SBA and the Arab Writers Union, AWU, which stipulates the establishment of a new AWU headquarters at SPC, and the second between SBA and the Emirates Writers Union, EWA, which provides for the translation of the works of 40 Emirati EWA authors from Arabic into English, French and Brazilian, with the genres to include poetry, stories, novels and research works.

His Highness also witnessed the launch of Publishers Weekly Arabic Magazine, which is being issued by SBA in collaboration with Publishers Weekly - a journal that focuses on the book industry, readers, critics, the publication of new titles and distribution.

"The establishment of Sharjah Publishing City is a vibrant manifestation of the vision of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who four decades ago underscored that books are knowledge mediators that bring together the world’s cultures. His Highness perfectly understood that books open a window for dialogue and communication between all nations and that a city dedicated to the sector would be a driving force for the book market in the Arab region," said Al Ameri.

"SPC provides an invaluable opportunity for publishers and for book industry stakeholders as it is a multi-amenity base from which they can develop and expand their businesses. It addresses the needs of all publishing institutions and firms in terms of licensing, printing, distribution and transport. It also capitalises on Sharjah’s strategic location, its connection to the world by Sharjah International Airport - as well as through its ports - and the array of facilities the emirate provides investors from around the world," he added.

Al Ameri pointed out that SPC has received applications from more than 150 bodies in the publishing sector, including letters of interest from Ingram Content Group from United States and Repro Printing Group from India.

He stated that SPC represents a fundamental paradigm shift in the publishing industry and is in line with the vision of the UAE that aims to enhance its position in all sectors.

Operating around the clock, seven days a week, SPC provides investors with numerous benefits and advantages, such as the right to own property irrespective of nationality, freedom to transfer capital, tax-free privileges for corporations and individuals, tax-free import and export and reduced costs on labour, energy, printing and logistics.

SPC is home to many publishing sector entities, including translation agencies, literary and linguistic editing offices and graphic design companies. It features a dedicated office to expedite licensing, with the issuance of licenses taking less than 24 hours. The city is also home to key organisations and entities in the field of books, most notably; SBA, the EPA and the EWU.

SPC draws on the competitive characteristics of the Emirate of Sharjah, which was named Arab Culture Capital in 1998 and was awarded the title World Book Capital 2019 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, earlier this year.