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KEZAD CEO brings Forward Growing Demand For Integrated Industrial, Trade Centers | |
| Sumita Pawar |
Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, CEO of the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) Group, has stated that the economic cities and free zones of the Abu Dhabi Ports Group have helped achieve record results for the group in terms of leasing new land.
According to the report, in the first half of 2022, the land leased by the group was estimated to total 3.9 square kilometers, underscoring the growing demand for integrated industrial and trade centers, especially in Abu Dhabi.
In his statements, Al Ahmed noted that the Abu Dhabi Ports Group is keen to ensure the consistency of its long-term strategy for Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general. It is keen to help make the emirate an international trade, industry, and logistics center.
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Under this framework, KEZAD was launched as one of the group’s economic cities and free zones to provide a wide array of services and business models. It will enable companies to grow, in line with the vision of the UAE's leadership and Abu Dhabi's industrial strategy, he added.
KEZAD has over 1,750 companies in 17 sectors, which include pharmaceuticals, minerals, vehicles, plastics, construction materials, recycling, food, agricultural technology, retail, logistics, advanced technology, clean energy, life science, oil and gas, and specialist chemicals, he added.
Al Ahmed commented that this step follows the successful merger of KEZAD and ZonesCorp under the umbrella of the former entity.
"This includes 17 industrial centres on an area measuring 550 square kilometers to meet the needs of a wide variety of key sectors and establish a diverse portfolio of services and products."
Report mentioned that, regarding the purposes for establishing KEZAD, he stressed that Abu Dhabi is witnessing economic growth as well as the growing adoption of sustainable practises and the circular economy.
As part of the efforts to accelerate this growth, the Abu Dhabi Ports Group has been keen to play a pioneering role in the emirate’s business community through the development of economic cities and free zones.
He further said that the KEZAD Group is a driver of the emirate’s industrial strategy by providing a flexible platform for local and international companies targeting the Middle East.
"It aims to attract new companies that will help increase the size of the emirate’s manufacturing sector, with a goal of reaching a value of AED 172 billion by 2031."
Al Ahmed says that increasing the number of companies will help UAE citizens find more jobs and help Abu Dhabi reach its goal of creating 13,600 jobs as part of its industrial strategy.
Al Ahmed then highlighted the role of KEZAD in managing the planning, development, operation, organization, and promotion of its assets, which include 12 economic zones on an area measuring 550 square kilometers, including a 100-square-kilometre free zone, a 300,000-square-kilometre logistics warehouse, and over 40 residential complexes for employees.
Through the merger of KEZAD and ZonesCorp, the former now provides a wide and integrated variety of services to customers and companies in all sectors, as well as various options related to land and locations, while offering competitive prices, he added.
He explained that the Abu Dhabi Ports Group launched KEZAD to develop complexes and services (KEZAD Communities) that will improve employees’ well-being and their living areas in the emirate.
The report further mentioned that Al Ahmed said, "In line with the circular economy objectives set by the emirate’s industrial strategy, economic and free zones aim to attract investment that will support sustainable manufacturing efforts in the textile and packaging industries, among other areas."
When he was done talking about the group's role in ensuring food security, he said that the building of KEZAD's Abu Dhabi Food Hub was a joint effort by the Abu Dhabi Ports Group, the Ghassan Aboud Group, and the world's largest wholesale fresh food market, Rungis.