The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (Added) has announced land incentives for businesses in the manufacturing and industrial sub-sectors.

Under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy's ecosystem enablement approach, the programme will offer land rates of as low as AED5 ($1.4) a square metre and long-term contracts.

To qualify for the programme, companies are expected to demonstrate:

• Robust and active business plans
• Manufacturing techniques and output that employ sustainable business practices and technological advancements;
• Emiratisation and plans for further developing highly-skilled labour and task forces;
• Contribution to Abu Dhabi’s macro-economic roadmap.

"Incentivising land use is a vital strategic subsidy for businesses, advancing their growth and development objectives, and enhancing their capital expenditures and cash-flow management," said Mohamed Ali al-Shorafa, chairman of Added. 

"We listened to our private sector partners and added a relief benefit to our roster of support schemes already in place."

Manufacturing boost

The Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy, launched in June 2022, will see the emirate invest AED10bn across six programmes to more than double the size of its manufacturing sector to AED172bn by 2031. 

The programmes revolve around topics such as the circular economy; industry 4.0; talent development; ecosystem enablement; homegrown supply chain; and value chain development.

The strategy is aiming to create 13,600 skilled jobs (with a focus on local UAE talent), and boost Abu Dhabi’s trade with international markets, with a goal to increase the emirate’s non-oil exports by 143 per cent to AED178.8bn by 2031. 

The land incentives scheme is being administered by Added's Industrial Development Bureau (IDB).

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