The Western Region of Abu Dhabi (Al-Gharbia) benefits from “huge support” from the government of Abu Dhabi, that will help make it a destination for investment opportunities, according to the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC).

“The Al Gharbia region gets huge support from the government of Abu Dhabi and the opportunities for investment there are huge,” said Falah al-Ahbabi, general manager of the UPC, speaking at the Al-Gharbia Development Forum in Abu Dhabi.

He added that up to AED90bn ($24.5bn) has already been spent on investment in the UAE’s first nuclear power project, which is being developed in the region. Coupled with other investments made by the Abu Dhabi government, such as the Shams 1 solar power project, the potential for investment in industries that support these sectors is an opportunity for the private sector, says Al-Ahbabi.

“These huge projects will, of course, yield smaller projects, whether petrochemicals, nuclear or renewable energy, or other sectors,” said Al-Ahbabi. “The government is calling for investment opportunities in the Al-Gharbia region.”

Al-Ahbabi also said that investment in 448 new housing units in the region, along with other investments in education and healthcare, was a sign of the government taking initiatives to develop the region for the local population.

The focus of investment in the region in the short term would be developing Madinat Zayed City, one of the seven most-populated cities in Al-Gharbia, which Al-Ahbabi said would become the headquarters of the region.