Companies from the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain on Sunday signed 12 manufacturing and mining agreements worth $2 billion, the first tangible result of an ambitious plan to integrate the industrial sector in the region.
Jordanian prime minister Bisher Al Khasawneh attended the signing in Amman, underlining the importance the kingdom places on creating jobs to curb unemployment.
The deals will create nearly 13,000 job opportunities in the four countries in the fields of car production, minerals and pharmaceuticals.
“We regard integration as the top of economic priority, especially after the challenges and crisis that the world went through in recent years,” said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change.
“The most important thing now is to focus on execution and creating practical, actual results.”
Last year, the UAE, Egypt and Jordan formed the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development to boost growth while exploring opportunities for joint investments.
Bahrain, a major producer of raw aluminium and iron ore, joined the partnership in July.
A $10 billion investment fund has been set up and is being managed by Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ to accelerate work on the partnership across five priority sectors, including petrochemicals, agriculture and metals.
The largest project announced on Sunday was a $550 million plan by UAE company M Glory Holding to build three factories in the UAE, Egypt and Jordan to produce an electrical crossover with a combined capacity of 40,000 vehicles a year.
The vehicle will start rolling out of a UAE factory this year, Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, told The National.
“The first production will be in the Emirates this year, God willing,” he said.
He said that although the four governments are providing “strategic guidance” to expand the industrial sector across the region, they are relying on the private sector to do the job.
A proposed $800 million fertiliser factory in Jordan is among the large projects under consideration, he added.
“The government's role is to define the priorities, facilitate the projects and link them together,” Mr Al Suwaidi said.
CFC, another Emirati holding company, will invest $400 million in an animal feed and chemicals factory in Egypt, using potassium imported form Jordan. Constriction work on the factory is set to start in July.
The Soda Chemical Industries of Egypt will invest $500 million to produce 500 million tonnes a year of soda ash, a widely used raw material in industry. The Emirates Flat Glass Company, owned by Dubai Investments, will be a main buyer of the product.
Ahmed Saleh, Egypt's Minister of Industry and Trade said on Sunday that integration of the industrial sector in the region is the best way forward as global economic pressures have left Arab countries little option but to integrate.
“We must strengthen regional partnerships and include the private sector as a major partner in implementing sustainable development plans,” he said.
“Recent geopolitical and economic challenges demand … more robust economic partnerships,” the minister added.
Emirates Global Aluminium will also build a $200 million silicone factory using raw materials produced by the Jordanian Al Manaseer group, and Jordanian and Egyptian companies will produce pharmaceuticals and medical supplies on behalf of UAE and Bahraini companies.
Jordanian Industry Minister Youssef Al Shamali said that Jordanian companies will “immediately” start exports of raw materials, such as phosphate, to prepare for manufacturing the end products.
He said the four countries will meet later this year in Bahrain to discuss more project ideas and to “solve any impediments to the investments.”
“This is an integrated Arab effort directed by the highest political levels of the four countries,” he said.
Adel Fakhro, Bahrain's Minister of Industry and Commerce, said Bahrain has proposed more than 10 projects focused on making Middle East supply chains more efficient.
In 2019, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain accounted for 30 per cent of the Mena region’s industrial contribution to GDP, or $65 billion worth of industrial exports.
The Middle East and Central Asia are forecast to grow by 3.2 per cent following a 5.3 per cent expansion in 2022 and then pick up to 3.7 per cent in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund.
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
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Orlando Crowcroft
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
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- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
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- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
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HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
