Abu Dhabi to invest Dh42 billion to boost quality of life

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, approves expansion of Liveability Strategy

Abu Dhabi's Liveability Strategy has resulted in more than Dh12 billion of investment in 60 projects. Victor Besa / The National

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, on Monday approved the Dh42 billion ($11.44 billion) expansion of a major initiative aimed at improving quality of life in the emirate.

The Liveability Strategy – which was launched in 2023 – has already resulted in more than Dh12 billion of investment in 60 projects focused on championing community well-being and public health.

More than 200 parks and sports courts, 24 schools, 21 mosques and 28 community majlises have been constructed under the large-scale plan. The scheme has also funded the development of about 220km of street lighting, 120km of walking paths, 283 cycling tracks and 200 beautification works.

Sheikh Khaled gave the green light to the next stage of the strategy – which is being overseen by the Department of Municipalities and Transport – while chairing the latest meeting of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince emphasised the government's commitment to raising the standard of living for Emirati families by investing in community services and bolstering infrastructure and amenities across residential areas and neighbourhoods. He underlined that the well-being of citizens remains at the heart of the government's priorities, highlighting the importance of strengthening social cohesion.

Boosting living standards

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, chairs the latest meeting of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. Photo: Wam

The expansion of the liveability scheme comes after Abu Dhabi set out a Dh106 billion master plan to develop 13 new residential communities featuring more than 40,000 homes and land plots for Emiratis.

The large-scale housing plan – unveiled in the presence of President Sheikh Mohamed at Qasr al Bahr on Wednesday – is in support of a wider drive to enhance the living standards of UAE citizens.

The Abu Dhabi Housing Authority and the Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre signed agreements with several property development companies to put the plan into action. It will include the construction of 25,244 housing units for Emiratis over the next five years, at a total cost of Dh94 billion.

A further 14,876 residential plots will be developed at a cost of Dh12 billion, the state news agency Wam reported.

AI-powered future

The council was also briefed on the progress of the Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027, which aims to position the emirate as the world’s top-ranked AI-powered government by 2027. Sheikh Khaled stressed the importance of harnessing advanced technologies to drive the productivity and efficiency of Abu Dhabi's government services.

Led by the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the emirate’s other government entities, the programme will allocate Dh13 billion between 2025 and 2027 to boost digital infrastructure, automate 100 per cent of government processes, and integrate sovereign cloud computing across all operations.

The strategy is expected to contribute more than Dh24 billion to Abu Dhabi’s economy by 2027 and create more than 5,000 employment opportunities supporting Emiratisation efforts.

The strategy also emphasises citizen empowerment through AI training under the AI for All programme, while introducing more than 200 AI-driven solutions to government services. It is intended to streamline operations with a unified enterprise resource planning platform and ensure robust cyber security frameworks.