The Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA) has announced partnerships with the governments of the UAE and Bahrain to expand its efforts in industrial decarbonisation across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

This is the ITA's second region of focus, following the early success of its Brazil programme.

The industrial sector contributes 40 per cent to Mena's GDP, surpassing the global average of 26 per cent. The Mena region is well-positioned to lead the global decarbonisation of heavy industry.

The UAE's Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and Bahrain's Ministry for Industry and Commerce are the ITA's first partners in the Mena region, with further country partners expected in the coming months.

The ITA will collaborate with regional governments, industry leaders, and financial institutions to bolster the investment case for Mena's emerging green industries and mobilise the critical capital needed to advance regional and global decarbonisation efforts.

The MPP Global Project Tracker shows a pipeline of announced green industrial projects in the Mena region, awaiting billions of dollars of investment to start production of green commodities.

Abdulla Bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Kingdom of Bahrain, said that being part of this reaffirms their commitment towards promoting sustainable manufacturing in line with their Industrial Sector Strategy (2022-2026).

The ITA is working to identify and support large-scale industrial projects that can be accelerated toward Final Investment Decision (FID) by 2026 and operational by 2030.

To get on track with Paris-aligned climate targets, a critical mass of large-scale projects that have the potential to drive a deep reduction in emissions must reach FID in the next two years and be brought online by 2030.

The MPP Global Project Tracker has identified more than six announced net-zero aligned industrial plants in the UAE, which, if brought to FID and combined with those already operating or at FID, would represent a total of approximately 30 per cent of UAE's 2030 climate target.

The ITA will provide on-the-ground, practical, tailored implementation support to help mature the project pipeline in the Mena region.

The first companies from the UAE to sign formal agreements to work with the ITA as part of the Mena program are EMSteel, Emirates Global Aluminium, and Arabian Gulf Steel Industries.