AD Ports Group driving economic diversification in the UAE

AD Ports Group has launched a economic impact report detailing the group’s growing role as a driver of economic diversification in the UAE, and its role as a leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry in the Arabian Gulf.

The results of the study conducted by Oxford Economics, which was based on 2022 data, aim to reflect the group’s growing economic and social contribution as a leading enabler of growth in the non-oil-based economy of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

In Abu Dhabi, AD Ports Group's diverse activities across multiple sectors, including industry, trade, logistics, and more, generated 22.9 per cent of the emirate’s non-oil GDP in 2022 at current prices, representing a total value-added contribution of AED132.7 billion. On a national scale, AD Ports Group generated 11.6 per cent of the UAE’s non-oil GDP, or AED150.6 billion at current prices in the same year.

According to Oxford Economics, AD Ports Group played a significant role in driving the growth of the non-oil-based economy following the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s contribution to the non-oil GDP in Abu Dhabi rose in 2022 from 21 per cent in 2020, when figures were last released. 

AD Ports Group operates a growing, international ecosystem of ports, economic cities and free zones, as well as maritime, shipping, logistics and digital services. Active in more than 50 countries across the Middle East, Northern Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Central and Southeast Asia, and Europe, the group is a catalyst for non-oil based economic growth through its industrial development, transport and logistics activities.

The estimates by Oxford Economics were based on measurements of the group’s operations, capital spending, tourism associated with operations, and activity in its industrial zones. During 2022, AD Ports Group’s contribution to UAE and Abu Dhabi non-oil GDP was driven by its Economic Cities and Free Zones Cluster (EC&FZ), which accounted for 95 per cent of its total impact.

The group’s 2022 activity supported an estimated 398,400 jobs across the UAE, which made up 14.1 per cent of total employment within the non-oil sector, along with supporting about 8 per cent of employment in the UAE’s construction and manufacturing sectors. In the same year, AD Ports Group supported a total of 261,700 jobs across Abu Dhabi, including 32.1 per cent of employment within the emirate’s manufacturing sector.

Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: “The latest findings confirm the group’s growing economic impact and continued ability to lay the foundations for a sustainable, diversified economy for Abu Dhabi, the UAE and future generations. Guided by our wise leadership, the group is working diligently to open new economic horizons that offer next-generation economic infrastructure and job opportunities.’’

Ross Thompson, Group Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, AD Ports Group, said: “Through an expanding global footprint and market-leading positions in industrial development, transport, trade and logistics, AD Ports Group is bringing the best of Abu Dhabi and the UAE to the wider world, and, increasingly, the world’s best to Abu Dhabi’s door. As the group grows bigger and more diverse, so too do the economies of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.’’

Contributions to non-oil GDP growth generated by the Group’s EC&FZ Cluster were primarily led by the more than 2,000 business tenants of KEZAD Group, a major part of EC&FZ and the largest economic zones ecosystem in the MENA region. Along with leading in manufacturing, the EC&FZ Cluster also drove activity across other sectors including construction, professional services, transportation and storage, administration and support, mining and quarrying, finance, information and communications technology, wholesale and retail trade, and real estate.

AD Ports Group’s global expansion during the last two years has contributed significantly to its own growth and the economic diversification of the UAE and Abu Dhabi.