*Saleh Ahmed Alsuwaidi
The race for prominence and leadership continues in the United Arab Emirates, where the government announced the country’s development campaign under the slogan “Projects of the 50,” which are strategic projects in the economic and development sectors for the next fifty years aiming to start a new era of foreign and domestic growth 50 years after the creation of the UAE – which became independent on December 2, 1971 – while doubling the size of the country’s economy from around USD 400 billion to USD 820 billion over the next ten years.
The government and the people of the UAE are determined to make qualitative leaps and prepare for the next period in order to guarantee a decent standard of living for all members of society: Nationals and residents, who seek to excel in vital economic sectors like entrepreneurship, investment, advanced skills, digital economy, space, technology and others.
The package “Projects of the 50”, with an estimated cost of $150 billion, seeks sustainability in productive sectors and increased competitiveness of UAE’s economy at regional and international levels. The implementation of this campaign also aims to ensure the greatest changes in the history of the UAE, such as benefiting companies with tax exemptions and training national skills and talent, while attracting talent, investors, foreign businesspeople and their families to the country through a long-term residency system of “golden residence” and the issuance of new visas to strengthen and consolidate the policy of open arms for all people, which the UAE has adopted since its creation, making the country a land of opportunity, security and success for all and a destination of millions. In the UAE, there are more than 190 nationalities, who chose the country due to the its political and social stability and for being the most active, most developed economic hub with a rapid and flexible growth to accomodate global transformations. The country, according to Forbes magazine, also ranked first among the Arabs and countries in the region and ninth in the world in the list of the safest countries in this era of COVID-19 fighting.
Ensuring the success of the “Projects of the 50” campaign means focusing on the fundamentals and advantages that enhance the attractiveness of the investment environment in the UAE, starting with the strategic geographic location and the efficiency of the land, air and sea transportation system, which directly interconnect the UAE with more than 250 cities and indirectly with 400 cities via shipping companies, 10 airports deeme the world’s best, 27 aviation licenses, 105 shipping companies and a throuthput capacity in 12 oil ports of up to 17 million tons per year and cargo of 80 million tons of goods, involving a conglomerate of more than 20 thousand institutions and sea companies.
In addition to its geographic location and Fitch’s AA- and Moody’s Aa2 global rating, the UAE ranked first in the Arab world and eigth globally in the United Nation’s smart services index and first globally in the list of countries with best digital infrastructure. The document “Projects of the 50” also includes the search for digital leadership in various fields of industry and tourism with the creation of the “Industrial Revolution Network” program, which aims to raise the level of industrial productivity by 30%, thus adding USD 68 billion to the economy over the next ten years and to prioritize the development and training of human resources and industrial leaders with the goal of reinforcing the industrial revolution.
The UAE is committed to strengthening economic partnerships with the world to diversify its sources of revenue. The country also hopes to make a qualitative leap in the strategic partnership with Brazil. We are about to open in October the “Expo 2020 Dubai,” in which Brazil will play a major role. The exhibition, that is considered the largest in the world in size and duration (6 months), will be a good opportunity to demonstrate advancements in the industrial fieldand in high-tech sectors such as aerospace, food security and others. We invite the Brazilian business community to participate and benefit from UAE’s package of strategic projects for the next fifty years, which we believe is an inspiring plan for the world, similar to what has been carried out in the last fifty years of full-fledgeddevelopment, which had as its main target mankind and a fair partnership with friends.
Saleh Ahmed Alsuwaidi is the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Brazil.
