MENA region must focus on sustainability, Emirates Steel CEO says: MEIS 2025

The Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region must focus on sustainability in a changing world, Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, group chief executive officer at Emirates Steel, said at Fastmarkets’ 28th Middle East Iron and Steel Conference and Exhibition.

“The world is changing quickly, and so must we,” Al Remeithi told delegates in his opening keynote address at the conference – in Madinat Jumairah Convention Centre, Dubai – on Monday November 17.

He stressed the importance of focusing on three points in order to be competitive: accelerating decarbonization; improving efficiency; and unlocking the full potential of artificial intelligence, which Emirates Steel uses in its production processes.

Emsteel, the steel branch of Emirates Steel, is focusing on reduction of carbon emissions with steps such as carbon capture, Al Remeithi said.

Demand for steel was expected to grow by 7% in the United Arab Emirates in 2026, and demand for rebar will improve by 40%, he said. This “reflects the strength of the economy, the momentum of its construction and infrastructure sectors, and the continued investment in national development projects,” he said.

But this growth was also bringing rising imports because of China’s oversupply, Al Remeithi said.

The UAE started an investigation intoimports of heavy sections from China in October 2025.

Protection alone is not enough, Al Remeithi said. Safeguarding the steel markets must go hand in hand with making them stronger by becoming more efficient, more innovative and more sustainable.

“The world is changing fast and we must continue to evolve with it and to lead the transformation,” Al Remeithi said.

“The MENA region is no longer reactive in steel sector,” Raju Daswani, chief executive officer of Fastmarkets, said in his opening speech to the conference. “It leads the sector globally.”

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