Thursday, Mar 30, 2017

ABU DHABI

The UAE is getting ready for the post oil era with emphasis on diversification and manufacturing, a top executive of the Tawazun Economic Council said in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

“We are trying to be ready for post oil era with emphasis on products that are made in the UAE by UAE hands. That is the main driver for Tawazun, and other entities are also pushing in that direction,” said Saif Al Hajeri, Chief Executive Officer of Tawazun Economic Council & Tawazun Holding. He was speaking at the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit in Abu Dhabi.

The comments come as the UAE government focuses on increasing the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the overall GDP (gross domestic product) of the country to 25 per cent by 2025.

The government is also trying to attract investment to the tune of $75 billion into the country’s new industrial manufacturing sector.

Al Hajeri said attracting right talent to the manufacturing sector has been a big problem but they are overcoming the issue by launching special training programmes and collaborating with the universities to bring in more people to the sector.

“We have created our training centre focusing on different programmes for technicians, engineers, and assemblers of parts. We are also working with local universities and foreign universities to put forward best programmes to attract more people to the industry.”

There are also special programmes to encourage more women to join the sector, he said.

“We have created special nurseries at Tawazun industrial park for women to bring their children and also work at the manufacturing facilities located on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. The result has been very good with many women showing interest to work there.”

Tawazun Economic Council has been playing an important role by diversification by boosting the manufacturing capabilities in the defence sector. A number of defence companies operate under its umbrella including Tawazun Holding, Caracal, Nimr Automotive among others.

By Fareed Rahman Senior Reporter

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