The ICV programme aims to boost the growth of domestic industries by redirecting half of government spending on procurements and tender contracts into the national economy by 2031. AP
The ICV programme aims to boost the growth of domestic industries by redirecting half of government spending on procurements and tender contracts into the national economy by 2031. AP
The ICV programme aims to boost the growth of domestic industries by redirecting half of government spending on procurements and tender contracts into the national economy by 2031. AP
The ICV programme aims to boost the growth of domestic industries by redirecting half of government spending on procurements and tender contracts into the national economy by 2031. AP

UAE's In-Country Value programme redirects $13bn to national economy in first half of 2024


Alkesh Sharma
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s national In-Country Value (ICV) programme, which seeks to support domestic industrial growth, redirected more than Dh48 billion ($13.1 billion) to the Emirates’ economy in the first half of 2024.

The programme has expanded its scope to include 31 federal and local government bodies as well as several major national companies, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

National ICV-certified companies made investments worth Dh205 billion by mid-year, an increase of 20 per cent compared to the same period last year. Additionally, more than 3,500 certificates were issued to companies joining the ICV programme during the January-June period, the statement added.

The number of companies that obtained national ICV certificates stood at 6,500 during the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 30 per cent.

The programme represents a “critical pillar in empowering the country’s industrial sector”, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.

“It plays a vital role in enhancing the business ecosystem, industrial competitiveness and creating job opportunities for national talent. In addition, it supports the objectives of the We the UAE 2031 vision and the UAE Centennial 2071.”

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, while speaking at the Make it in the Emirates forum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, while speaking at the Make it in the Emirates forum. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The number of Emiratis working in companies that obtained the national ICV programme certificate reached about 19,000 in the first half of the year, up 40 per cent on the same period last year, and compared to 6,180 jobs in 2020 when the ministry was established.

The ICV programme, part of the UAE's Projects of the 50 that was launched in September 2021, aims to boost the growth of domestic industries by redirecting half of government spending on procurements and tender contracts into the national economy by 2031.

The programme also supports the goals of the Make it in the Emirates campaign, which was launched by the ministry to attract investment and promote sustainable industrial development in the UAE.

Dr Al Jaber noted that national spending by companies on local purchases and services has been growing annually, reaching Dh53 billion in 2022, a 25 per cent increase from the previous year, and rising to Dh67 billion in 2023, reflecting a 26 per cent annual growth.

There has been a 66 per cent growth in national spending among programme bodies compared to the first half of last year.

The UAE economy's growth in 2023 was stronger than the most recent estimate, driven by non-oil sector growth.

The Arab world’s second-largest economy expanded by 3.6 per cent last year, compared to the 3.1 per cent estimated by the UAE Central Bank in the fourth quarter, the banking regulator said in June.

The ICV programme is also part of Operation 300bn, the UAE's strategy to position it as an industrial centre, focusing on increasing the sector’s contribution to GDP to Dh300 billion by 2031.

The UAE industrial sector’s contribution to GDP reached about Dh197 billion in 2023, with the country achieving 30 per cent of Operation 300bn’s target since its 2021 launch, officials said in January.

"The significant growth of the National ICV programme confirms the effectiveness of efforts and initiatives aimed at developing specialised talent, enhancing local supply chains and value, advancing digital and technological transformation, and boosting the global competitiveness of the industrial sector and the national economy," said Ahmed Al Zaabi, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Jimmy Greaves 44
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The past Palme d'Or winners

2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda

2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund

2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach

2015 DheepanJacques Audiard

2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan

2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux

2012 Amour, Michael Haneke

2011 The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick

2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul

2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke

2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet

Results

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

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Age: 59

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Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips

Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.

Results

5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby

7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

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6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m

7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m

7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m

8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m

8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m

9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m

10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m

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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers

Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.

It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.

The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.

Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.

Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.

He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.

AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”

A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.

Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.

Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.

Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.

By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.

Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.

In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”

Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.

She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.

Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

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Rating: 3.5/5

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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Biography

Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day

Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour

Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour

Best vacation: Returning home to China

Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument

Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes

Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems

 

 

Updated: August 09, 2024, 3:21 PM