Under the rule of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE chalked up a number of accomplishments, including being ranked among the top 10 globally in 20 key indicators of global competitiveness related to the energy and infrastructure sector for the year 2021.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the second President of the United Arab Emirates and 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi, died at age 73 on Friday, May 13.
Sheikh Khalifa assumed the office of the UAE President in 2004 after his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, passed away. Sheikh Khalifa was elected in 2009 to a second five-year term.
During his tenure, Sheikh Khalifa initiated a major restructure of the country’s federal government. Additionally, he worked to implement changes in Abu Dhabi’s government, including improving public services and opening up the economy to encourage investment and public-private partnerships, according to the UAE government.
Under the direction of Sheikh Khalifa, the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure implemented leading projects worth more than $10.88 billion (AED 40 billion), including 3,000 federal buildings, educational and health facilities, government services buildings, and mosques.
During his era, more than 230 public schools were constructed and a world-class system of hospitals was established along with 32 federal government health facilities. He also supported fishermen by establishing more than 24 fishing ports, the state-run news agency, Wam, reported.
The UAE also witnessed considerable progress in terms of roads, with the total length of federal roads reaching more than 900 kilometres through the completion of more than 140 projects. The total length of traffic lanes on federal roads reached 4,300 kilometres over the past 18 years, linking the country’s regions and cities in a smooth and flexible manner.
The ministry has also prioritised water facilities as a key driver of the water development process, most notably the inclusion of dams and water channels within its strategic plans, especially during seasonal times and increasing amounts of rainfall.
Over 106 dams have been constructed and maintained over the past 20 years. The capacity of the country’s dams and reservoirs has increased to more than 200-million cubic metres, strengthening its water security system.
Additionally, since its establishment, the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme has contributed to the stability of more than 33,838 citizen families by providing housing support and establishing integrated residential districts.
Through its landmark initiatives, the country continues playing an active role in strengthening the national maritime sector, while contributing to the growth of the global maritime and logistics industry.
Under Sheikh Khalifa’s direction, the UAE also made huge strides within the marine sector locally, with a focus on catering to regional and global maritime needs in terms of providing the best infrastructure and top-class services. The country’s competencies have helped it gain the status of being a key global maritime hub. The sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP is AED 90 billion annually.
UAE ports handled over 19 million TEUs during 2021, and there were over 25,000 port calls in the UAE during the same year. UAE’s national fleet capacity stands at 21 million DWT and national fleet in 2020 consisted of 970 vessels.
The UAE has been a frontrunner in several global competitiveness indicators in the maritime sector. The country was ranked 3rd in transport services trade and Bunker Supply Index. It ranked fifth as a key competitive maritime hub and 13th globally in Port Performance and Efficiency Index.
The country’s ports rank among the top 10 internationally in the volume of container handling. There are over 27,000 maritime companies in the UAE and the country’s ports rank among the top worldwide.
Follow us on
