Yousef Al Arabi (Dubai)
The “National Value Added Program”, recently launched by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, will be implemented among the 50 projects in all federal agencies by the end of this year, according to Omar Ahmed Suwain’ al-Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry.
In statements on the sidelines of the fourth session of the World Industry and Manufacturing Summit to be held at Expo 2020, Suwainah said that the program is witnessing the inclusion of leading companies such as “Mubadala”, “Etisalat” and “TAQA”, and many other major companies intend to join the program next year.
Al Suwaidi stressed that the renaissance of the industrial sector in the UAE is as old as the union, as the wise leadership has given it all the attention and care until its current contribution has reached more than 9% of the GDP.
-
Omar Al Suwaidi
Attractions
He pointed out that the UAE possesses a set of strong and supportive elements for the competitiveness of the industrial sector, the first and most important of which is the vision of the wise leadership, which aims to develop a sustainable and diversified economy for the next fifty years.
He said that one of the most important elements of attraction and competitiveness in the industrial sector in the UAE is the availability of an integrated environment that supports the growth and competitiveness of the sector at the regional and global levels, pointing out that the country has advanced 5 positions globally in the competitive industrial performance index issued by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), where it occupies the rank of 30 globally and first in the Arab world for the year 2021. He noted that the UAE has an advanced infrastructure and a strategic geographic location, which constitutes a strong basis for the transformation into a strong and competitive industrial base in the region.
financing facilities
Al-Suwaidi pointed out the importance of the financing facilities from the Emirates Development Bank to promote transformation using advanced technology and the solutions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as 5 billion dirhams were allocated for the recently launched project to adopt advanced technology in industrial enterprises.
The project aims to support the industrial sector in the country to shift towards advanced technology applications during the next five years, and will provide the necessary financing for companies and industrial institutions seeking to adopt the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and improve their business model and the quality of their products.
Al Suwaidi said: The project of adopting advanced technology in industrial institutions places the UAE in the ranks of the top ten countries in the world in terms of the uses of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He noted that the program aims to raise the level of industrial productivity by 30% and add about 25 billion dirhams to the economy of the UAE within 10 years.
He explained that the program will develop 500 national companies providing 4IR technologies in the country by 2031 and develop 100 leading national companies in adopting its technologies.
national strategy
Al Suwaidi said that the national strategy for industry “Project 300” with its clear aspirations to double the industry’s contribution to the domestic product from 133 billion dirhams to 300 billion dirhams by 2031, would make a qualitative leap in the sector.
He noted that the ministry seeks to bring about a radical transformation in the field of adopting the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution “4IR” and launching new sectors for future industries, and making the UAE a regional and global industrial center during the next ten years.
He noted that the priorities of the national strategy for industry focus on improving and stimulating the industrial performance of the existing industries, and providing incentives and facilities to attract investments in future industries.
He explained that the strategy was integrated, both at the level of legislation, capabilities, resources, supply chains, production methods, stimulating supply and demand, providing financial solutions, as well as training programs, as well as incentives to increase foreign investment attractiveness and support the competitiveness of Emirati products in global markets.
The strategy identified a group of already existing industries and priority industries for the country, where work is being done to enhance the performance of existing industries such as machinery and equipment, rubber and plastics, chemicals, heavy industries, electronic and electrical devices, and others.
Promising future
Al Suwaidi said: “In light of the “50 projects”, we aspire to make the UAE a global center for future industries, as well as to become the most active economy and achieve digital and technical excellence for the country, so that the UAE will be the capital of talent, companies and investments.
The national goals include that industrial growth is in line with the country’s goals to reach climate neutrality by 2050 through a circular economy, hydrogen, and others.
.