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Tawazun Economic Council hosted the 8th Defense Contractors Council workshop on Sunday to discuss industrial partnerships in the UAE and future collaboration opportunities.
Matar Ali Al Romaithi, Chief Economic Development Officer of Tawazun Economic Council, attended the workshop along with senior representatives from international defence companies.
In his keynote address, Al Romaithi welcomed the participants and underscored the myriad opportunities the UAE offers to business and industrial partners.
"Set to celebrate 48 years of the union, the UAE is steadily striving to achieve its future goals for sustainable and comprehensive development. Thanks to the wise leadership’s vision, the UAE has continued on the course of diversification and progress and achieved new milestones," Al Romaithi said.
He underlined the remarkable growth in the non-hydrocarbon sector which is expected to pick up from two percent in 2017, to five percent in 2021, while its contribution to the GDP is set to increase 80 percent.
He stated that the council is currently developing new initiatives that will add value to the economic development and consolidate its successful, enduring and mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly in the areas of knowledge, technology and expertise transfer, as well as capacity building.
Al Romaithi also referred to the Tawazun Economic Programme, or the UAE offset programme’s successes, not only in bringing economic benefits to the UAE but also in contributing to the welfare of the community through unique initiatives. These include privatisation of water and electricity, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, SMEs, Public Private Partnership, PPP, healthcare third-party insurance, IPOs, etc.
"Over the past 25 years, the council enabled the creation of more than 90 companies and investment vehicles, covering 11 sectors, including defence manufacturing," he said.
Al Romaithi emphasised the importance of the meeting in highlighting the opportunities for collaboration and exchange of expertise, especially in human and technology development domains.
"We thank the Defense Contractors Council for bringing to light the potential for collaboration among the local and international content of the defence programme in the UAE. With events such as this, we encourage our industry members to participate and learn about the new environment and players in our ecosystem," he added.
The meeting saw a presentation by Alan Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Raytheon Emirates, who shone a light on future opportunities ahead to build a new legacy of industrial partnerships for a sovereign capability that will develop local national talent and contribute to the Emirates’ diverse knowledge-based economy.
Building on Raytheon’s 30 plus years in the UAE, Davis reflected on taking that relationship to the next level by starting the company’s newest wholly owned subsidiary in the UAE.
Anna-Karin Rosén, Chief Executive Officer of SAAB Middle East, made the second presentation about the company’s operations in the UAE.
"The UAE is one of Saab’s key markets. This was manifested during 2017 as Saab established its African and Middle Eastern regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi and also conducted the launch of a development and production centre, Saab Ltd, in Tawazun Industrial Park, Abu Dhabi. This step is also well in line with Saab’s strategy to increase international presence in order to enhance sales and achieve profitable growth," Rosén said.
A workshop was organised on the sidelines of the meeting on the economic impact of partnerships from the perspectives of the foreign defence contractors operating in the UAE.
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