Last week saw further announcements from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai on their respective initiatives aimed at continuing to boost economic growth and ease the cost of doing business in each Emirate.
It was announced on 6 June that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, had approved a Dh50 billion economic stimulus program for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, directed at increasing economic growth over the next three years and promoting the ease of doing business in Abu Dhabi.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council announced further initiatives during an Executive Council’s meeting aimed at further stimulating economic growth and reducing the cost of doing business in Dubai.
Just 24 hours after Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the Dh50 billion stimulus program, the Executive Council met to discuss the plans.
The program is designed to ease doing business in Abu Dhabi and increase the work experience for UAE nationals, residents and investors. It also aims to help generate more business activity, enhance the competitiveness of Abu Dhabi's private sector and ultimately address the challenging market conditions in Abu Dhabi.
The plan will provide for a set of ten economic initiatives, covering infrastructure and legislative projects, as well as SMEs, and industrial and social projects. We have provided a brief outline of the initiatives below:
The Executive Committee of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council has now been asked to draw up a detailed execution plan for the stimulus package within 90 days.
The latest round of economic initiatives announced by Sheikh Hamdan for Dubai include the following:
The above comes after Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s announcement to relax foreign ownership requirements and introduce ten year visas.
It is clear that the initiatives launched are focussed on key industries and sectors for Dubai (for example aviation, real estate, education etc.) which are key to the continuous economic growth of the Emirate. The Executive Council is also clearly trying to reduce the financial burden on both commercial businesses and residents alike. What is unclear at the moment is when these initiatives will become formally effective.
The recent developments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai continue to show the UAE government’s commitment to further developing, growing and easing the way business is conducted in both Emirates. Although some elements of the initiatives are not entirely new (for example the concept of dual licenses) it is clear that there is real momentum and a head of steam building in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai to move things forwards and stimulate local economies as quickly as possible.
We continue to monitor these developments and eagerly await further details and information regarding the implementation of these plans both in Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the coming weeks and months.
Please also see the link below to our PwC news alert on recent announcements in respect to changes to foreign ownerships requirements in Dubai.
Major changes announced for UAE foreign ownership restrictions and residency visas
Darren Harris
Legal Leader | Head of Corporate, PwC Legal Middle East
Tel: +971 (0)56 418 9768
Kristofer Charik
Dubai Entity Governance & Compliance Leader, PwC Legal Middle East
Tel: +971 (0) 4 304 3074