Abu Dhabi’s economy has rebounded strongly from the coronavirus pandemic and maintained strong growth on the expansion of its non-oil sector. Bloomberg
Abu Dhabi’s economy has rebounded strongly from the coronavirus pandemic and maintained strong growth on the expansion of its non-oil sector. Bloomberg
Abu Dhabi’s economy has rebounded strongly from the coronavirus pandemic and maintained strong growth on the expansion of its non-oil sector. Bloomberg
Abu Dhabi’s economy has rebounded strongly from the coronavirus pandemic and maintained strong growth on the expansion of its non-oil sector. Bloomberg

Abu Dhabi seeks private sector partnership to fund infrastructure projects worth $123 billion


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Abu Dhabi will need private sector investment to develop Dh450 billion ($122.52 billion) worth of infrastructure projects in the next five to 10 years, a government official from the emirate said on Monday.

These projects include road networks, transport, schools and hospitals, "all of which the government can afford to develop by itself, but we are trying to say no, let's get the private sector [as] part of this development", Mohamed Al Shorafa, chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, said at Abu Dhabi Finance Week.

The energy-rich emirate is making it easier for private companies to invest in and develop infrastructure projects, he added.

Mohamed Al Shorafa, chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Mohamed Al Shorafa, chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Executives and officials also highlighted the strong performance of Abu Dhabi's initial public offering (IPO) market, which reflects the emirate's economic growth prospects.

Florida-based investment firm GQG Partners, which manages assets worth $150 billion, has higher exposure to Abu Dhabi than China, the world's second-largest economy, its chairman and chief investment officer said during a panel session.

"It's actually a significant bet and as the breadth of the investment opportunity increases here ... you'll get more IPOs," Rajiv Jain said.

While it is a good sign that more companies are going public, the market needs more depth and liquidity, he said, adding that "fundamentals are very attractive but the world hasn't paid fully attention to it yet".

Abu Dhabi’s economy has rebounded strongly from the coronavirus pandemic and maintained strong growth on the expansion of its non-oil sector.

The emirate's economy grew by an annualised 4.1 per cent in the second quarter of this year on the back of boost from the non-oil sector, the latest data from the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi show.

The value of Abu Dhabi’s economic output for the three months ending on June 30 reached a record Dh297 billion, the Statistics Centre said in October.

For the first six months of this year, Abu Dhabi's economy recorded a 3.7 per cent increase on an annual basis, with the non-oil sector expanding by 6.6 per cent in the second quarter, reaching a record Dh164.2 billion.

The non-oil sector's share of the emirate's economy rose to more than 55.2 per cent, its highest since late 2014.

Last week, Abu Dhabi also unveiled a range of programmes aimed at boosting its economic standing, pledging to empower businesses and encourage greater involvement as the UAE capital accelerates its future development.

The initiatives include the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry's new strategic road map, “designed for the private sector by the private sector” that will support the growth of businesses in key sectors, as well as the announcement of the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Family Business Council to support one of the UAE's crucial entrepreneurial segments.

The emirate will also streamline business activities further with the introduction of the Abu Dhabi Registry Authority, designed to simplify processes and encourage more entrepreneurs to contribute to the economy.

The four initiatives are designed to “drive collective ambitions forward”, said Ahmed Al Zaabi, chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Business Week last week.

Abu Dhabi’s property and aviation sectors are also performing strongly supporting the growth of the non-oil sector.

In the first half of the year, the emirate recorded 12,439 property transactions valued at Dh36.2 billion, with Dh23.7 billion worth of sales and purchase deals and Dh12.5 billion comprising mortgage transactions, according to the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre.

Abu Dhabi's property sector continues to perform strongly. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Abu Dhabi's property sector continues to perform strongly. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

In the third quarter, Abu Dhabi’s average apartment prices registered an annual increase of 9 per cent and average villa prices grew by more than 8 per cent, CBRE said in a recent report. Rents also rose, with 9 per cent for apartments and 4 per cent for villas on an annual basis.

More people continued to travel through Abu Dhabi's airports in a boost to the aviation sector.

Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport rose 33.8 per cent annually in the first half of 2024, exceeding expectations as it attracted new airlines and expanded its destination network.

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Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

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Results:

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When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

'Morbius'

Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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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Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
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3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)

4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
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Romain Grosjean (Haas)

6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)

7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
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8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)

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Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
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  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJim%20Mickle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristian%20Convery%2C%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SUE%20GRAY'S%20FINDINGS
%3Cp%3E%22Whatever%20the%20initial%20intent%2C%20what%20took%20place%20at%20many%20of%20these%20gatherings%20and%20the%3Cbr%3Eway%20in%20which%20they%20developed%20was%20not%20in%20line%20with%20Covid%20guidance%20at%20the%20time.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22Many%20of%20these%20events%20should%20not%20have%20been%20allowed%20to%20happen.%20It%20is%20also%20the%20case%20that%20some%20of%20the%3Cbr%3Emore%20junior%20civil%20servants%20believed%20that%20their%20involvement%20in%20some%20of%20these%20events%20was%20permitted%20given%20the%20attendance%20of%20senior%20leaders.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22The%20senior%20leadership%20at%20the%20centre%2C%20both%20political%20and%20official%2C%20must%20bear%20responsibility%20for%20this%20culture.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20found%20that%20some%20staff%20had%20witnessed%20or%20been%20subjected%20to%20behaviours%20at%20work%20which%20they%20had%20felt%20concerned%20about%20but%20at%20times%20felt%20unable%20to%20raise%20properly.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20was%20made%20aware%20of%20multiple%20examples%20of%20a%20lack%20of%20respect%20and%20poor%20treatment%20of%20security%20and%20cleaning%20staff.%20This%20was%20unacceptable.%22%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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%3Cp%3EArticle%2014%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E1.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20periodically%20take%20stock%20of%20the%20implementation%20of%20this%20Agreement%20to%20assess%20the%20collective%20progress%20towards%20achieving%20the%20purpose%20of%20this%20Agreement%20and%20its%20long-term%20goals%20(referred%20to%20as%20the%20%22global%20stocktake%22)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20undertake%20its%20first%20global%20stocktake%20in%202023%20and%20every%20five%20years%20thereafter%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

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Director: Ismael Ferroukhi

Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani

3 stars

While you're here
The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 575bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh554,000

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5 of the most-popular Airbnb locations in Dubai

Bobby Grudziecki, chief operating officer of Frank Porter, identifies the five most popular areas in Dubai for those looking to make the most out of their properties and the rates owners can secure:

• Dubai Marina

The Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence are popular locations, says Mr Grudziecki, due to their closeness to the beach, restaurants and hotels.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh482 to Dh739 
Two bedroom: Dh627 to Dh960 
Three bedroom: Dh721 to Dh1,104

• Downtown

Within walking distance of the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and the famous fountains, this location combines business and leisure.  “Sure it’s for tourists,” says Mr Grudziecki. “Though Downtown [still caters to business people] because it’s close to Dubai International Financial Centre."

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh497 to Dh772
Two bedroom: Dh646 to Dh1,003
Three bedroom: Dh743 to Dh1,154

• City Walk

The rising star of the Dubai property market, this area is lined with pristine sidewalks, boutiques and cafes and close to the new entertainment venue Coca Cola Arena.  “Downtown and Marina are pretty much the same prices,” Mr Grudziecki says, “but City Walk is higher.”

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh524 to Dh809 
Two bedroom: Dh682 to Dh1,052 
Three bedroom: Dh784 to Dh1,210 

• Jumeirah Lake Towers

Dubai Marina’s little brother JLT resides on the other side of Sheikh Zayed road but is still close enough to beachside outlets and attractions. The big selling point for Airbnb renters, however, is that “it’s cheaper than Dubai Marina”, Mr Grudziecki says.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh422 to Dh629 
Two bedroom: Dh549 to Dh818 
Three bedroom: Dh631 to Dh941

• Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah's proximity to luxury resorts is attractive, especially for big families, says Mr Grudziecki, as Airbnb renters can secure competitive rates on one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh503 to Dh770 
Two bedroom: Dh654 to Dh1,002 
Three bedroom: Dh752 to Dh1,152 

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Updated: December 09, 2024, 5:13 PM