UAE BUILT FOR FUTURE UNDER SHEIKH KHALIFA WITH Dh40bn IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
▶ Ports, housing and federal roads expanded under his presidency
As President, Sheikh Khalifa oversaw years of progress and development in the UAE, including major advances in infrastructure, housing and marine policies.
From 2004 until his death last Friday, Sheikh Khalifa guided the country to remarkable achievements, including about Dh40 billion ($10.89bn) in development projects, state news agency Wam reported.
Sheikh Khalifa also expanded the country’s ports, a move that led to a surge in container traffic. Here are some of his achievements:
Infrastructure and housing
During Sheikh Khalifa’s presidency, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure enacted projects worth more than Dh40bn, including the establishment, completion and upgrading of more than 230 public schools, the development of a world-class system of hospitals and 32 federal government health centres, and the establishment of 24 fishing ports.
The ministry also extended the distance covered by federal roads to more than 900 kilometres through more than 140 projects. The length of traffic lanes on federal roads grew to 4,300km over the past 18 years, linking the country’s regions and cities.
More than 106 dams have been constructed and maintained over the past two decades, with the capacity of dams and reservoirs increasing to more than 200 million cubic metres, strengthening the country’s water security system, Wam reported.
The Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme contributed to the stability of more than 33,838 Emirati families by providing housing support and establishing residential areas.
Marine policies
The UAE also became a leader in the maritime sector during Sheikh Khalifa’s presidency.
Last year, the UAE was re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation in the ‘B’ membership category for the third time.
The country received international praise for its pivotal role in developing strategies, policies and agreements that
enhanced maritime safety standards, protected the marine environment and enhanced the efficiency of global industry.
The UAE also focused on catering to regional and global maritime needs in terms of
providing the best infrastructure and services.
The UAE has become a global maritime centre and the sector’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product is Dh90bn annually.
The UAE’s ports rank among
the top 10 in the world in the amount of containers they handle. There are more 27,000 maritime companies in the country.
Its ports handled more than 19 million “20-foot equivalent units” last year, Wam
reported, while there were more than 25,000 port calls in the country.
The country’s national fleet capacity stands at 21 million deadweight tonnage and the national fleet in 2020 consisted of 970 vessels.