UMM AL QAIWAIN // Officials have launched an economic strategic plan that marks a shift from a focus on property development put in place before the global downturn.
The three-year programme, which comes into immediate effect, prioritises the UAQ economy, heritage, infrastructure and public sector development, said Sheikh Rashid bin Saud, the emirate's Crown Prince.
Authorities intend to develop the emirate as a trade centre, heritage and eco-tourism destination. The amount to be spent on the scheme was not revealed.
The news was welcomed by citizens who said possibilities for growth were few at present. "Now it is difficult to find a good opportunity in Umm al Qaiwain," said Hind al Ali, 27, a banker. "You can find opportunities but if you want to grow, if you want to learn, you have to leave. People go to Dubai and get experience and then they come back.
"It's a very good step once it's implemented because they've been looking to all sectors and it's not just in one field."
UAQ will feature coastal and aquatic features including Al Senayah Island to emphasise heritage and eco-tourism. The emirate will host festivals, build heritage centres, protect archaeological sites and conduct research to discover more locations.
Alyaa al Gufly, the director of the UAQ Museum, said the increased attention to cultural themes would be a boon. "I was shocked that they are focusing on heritage and tourism," she said. "We are trying to bring more people to help us with this because every day we discover new things. Just one month ago we found a new site."
The focus could change perceptions about job selection. Emiratis from UAQ would possibly be more willing to accept work in tourism, which would have been unimaginable five years ago, because of the examples of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, said Manal Jasim, a legal adviser at the royal court. "We are still a small emirate but we wish to improve and be like the other emirates," said Ms Jasim, 25. "It's a good move. It will be a good acceleration for our emirate."
The strategy will benefit from recently announced federal initiatives to develop infrastructure and boost business in the Northern Emirates. The announcements followed February's tour of the region by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Strategy development began last year with a team from Dubai and UAQ to fit with the 2011-2013 federal strategy, in response to a visit by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and his call for increased integration between local and federal models.
To attract direct investment, the plan will streamline government policies to make it easier to obtain permits, register property and protect investor rights. A planned database will improve transparency and government departments will give investors more ongoing support.
The emirate will also focus on wholesale trading development, providing increased access to capital for entrepreneurs through programmes such as the Khalifa Fund, which doubled its funding to Dh2billion last month.
To meet the expected increase in trade, the UAQ Port will be expanded and roads will be upgraded in line with international road safety standards. Citizens can also expect more housing projects made possible through last month's Dh5.7bn federal stimulus programme for water and electricity infrastructure in the Northern Emirates.
An executive council will set policies at emirate level to streamline local and federal strategies and help with budgeting. The public sector will focus on efficiency and developing organisational structures and human resources.
"The Umm al Qaiwain strategy reflects our ambition to become a new success story that adds to the UAE's record of success by achieving a quantum leap in all key sectors in the emirate during the coming period," said Sheikh Rashid.
