There can be little doubt that the UAE’s commitment to achieving sustainable growth through industrial transformation has brought real and tangible benefits to all of us who have a stake in our nation’s success.
The global economy has become increasingly complex. Today, it faces unforeseen challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but thanks to the strategic guidance of our leadership, Abu Dhabi’s ongoing industrialisation is placing the emirate on an enviable trajectory that is boosting non-oil GDP growth while also developing an inclusive, job-rich and dynamic trade, logistics, and manufacturing base.
The integration of ZonesCorp into Abu Dhabi Ports portfolio, both of which are ADQ assets, fundamentally enhances our entire business proposition. Working alongside KIZAD (Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi) under our Abu Dhabi Ports’ Industrial Zones portfolio, ZonesCorp will empower Abu Dhabi Ports to rapidly accelerate the realisation of our ambition to create a thriving industrial ecosystem.
In taking this decision, Abu Dhabi’s Government has entrusted our Group to promote and facilitate trade across the region and around the world. Over the past eight years, through Abu Dhabi Ports’ development of KIZAD, and the construction and expansion of our flagship deep-water port, Khalifa Port, we have successfully enabled the emirate to project economic power through a highly modernised and connected indigenous industrial sector.
And by taking critical steps to increase the competitiveness of our zones to make them more attractive destinations for foreign direct investment, the Group has ensured Abu Dhabi remains devoted to nurturing an optimised business environment for customers and investors looking to establish a strong presence in the MENA region.
Both KIZAD and ZonesCorp combined have attracted more than AED 143 billion in investments to a combined area of 554 square kilometres, which is approximately two-thirds the land area of New York City. Combined, both are home to more than 1,400 companies and worker residential facilities for close to half a million people.
Together with KIZAD, increased scale and connectivity to a multi-modal transport infrastructure that covers air, sea, road and, in future, rail, will allow our customers to benefit from access to a broader range of world-class services, facilities, and opportunities.
We are dedicated to further intensifying our zones’ competitiveness, driving value to our customers, attracting more investment, and promoting the growth of commercial activity in the UAE as well as strategically positioning the nation as an essential hub in China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
We can be confident in our achievements to date and optimistic that the coming together of ZonesCorp and KIZAD under the Abu Dhabi Ports Group will power Abu Dhabi’s economy to new heights in the coming decades.
