A midst all of the focus on the development of the city of Abu Dhabi and its adjacent area, impressive though that is, it is time for British business and for British businessmen to take a closer look at the unexplored opportunities in the Al Gharbia Region, where plans are now being drawn up for major growth between now and 2030.

Formerly known as the Western Region, it covers an area of 60,000 sq. km., 71 per cent of the entire land area of the United Arab Emirates and around 83 per cent of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Until recently, the major focus on development there was in the oil and gas industry, with all of Abu Dhabi’s major onshore oilfields, as well as the export terminal, refinery and associated industrial complex at Jebel Dhanna and Ruwais. Visitors made weekend trips to Liwa, or enjoyed the beaches but, outside the oil industry, there was little in the way of employment or investment opportunities.

Now, though, thanks to the vision of President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the directions of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Al Gharbia is setting out on a major programme of growth. Over the next few years, it is planned that it will become an important centre, not only for the oil and gas and the water and power sectors but that it will also contribute extensively in many other ways to the growing economy of Abu Dhabi.

Tourism is, of course, set to be one important area of growth. Thanks to its long coastline and to its numerous offshore islands, Al Gharbia has the potential to become one of the most attractive destinations in the whole of the Arabian Gulf and Middle East.

The lead in this sector is being taken by the Tourism Development and Investment Company, TDIC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, ADTA. TDIC has already opened its first hotel on the island of Sir Bani Yas, once the private wildlife reserve of the late President Sheikh Zayed.

Here the 64-room Desert Islands Resort and Spa, catering for the top end of the market, offers visitors the opportunity to taking a break amidst surroundings where endangered species of animals like the Arabian oryx and the Arabian gazelle breed and roam. There is, simply, nothing else like it in the region. Access has recently been made much easier, with a dedicated air terminal at Sir Bani Yas catering for flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport and with a special marine terminal on the mainland nearby, at Jebel Dhanna.

Overall, TDIC are planning a number of hotels on islands off the coast of Al Gharbia, as well as in the Liwa Oasis which will cater both for the discerning international traveller and for residents of other parts of the Emirates.

It is not only Sir Bani Yas and adjacent islands like Dalma that will see development over the next few years, though. Ruwais, the heart of Abu Dhabi’s onshore downstream oil industry, is also set to grow rapidly with the expansion of existing facilities and the building of new ones. Nearby, just west of Jebel Dhanna, a major hub for the power and water industry is also growing. Inland, new oil and gas fields are being developed by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, and its foreign partners. Although it has only a very small percentage of the overall population of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Al Gharbia already provides over 40 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s Gross National Product, and around Dh 100 billion has been earmarked for further development. Part of that investment will go into the railway that will link the Northern Emirates and Abu Dhabi with the rest of the Arabian peninsula, creating a major transport hub at Sila’a, in the far west.

The Western Region Development Council, WRDC, was established by the Abu Dhabi Government with four key goals – economic and social development for the benefit of the region’s people, enhancement of infrastructure, promotion of investment and improvement of enterprise. Working hand-in-hand with the Western Region Municipality and the other relevant entities, it is striving to ensure that future development is diversified both in terms of economic sectors, and also in terms of geography, too. Besides the islands and Ruwais, there are other towns that also need to grow, and to provide employment and business opportunities for both UAE citizens and expatriates alike. The Region’s capital, Madinat Zayed, the Liwa Oasis, the coastal ports of Mirfa and Sila’a and the inland township of Ghayathi – all these too have much to offer and have needs to be met.

Al Gharbia is a unique part of the UAE - where the desert meets the sea and renowned for its authentic heritage. We at WRDC act as a front office for potential investors for the region by assisting and supporting them. We also lend a helping hand by advising on Al Gharbia’s economic trends and provide extensive information and advice on the sustainability of development in the region. As part of WRDC’s long-term goals, we intend to enable economic growth and upgrade residents’ standards of living by developing our infrastructure and increasing connectivity within and outside the region. The residents, encouraging business diversification, enhancing the investment environment, and supporting productivity are our main priorities.

The Council is outlining a plan for the future, including investment and entrepreneurial avenues, with the intention of making Al Gharbia an ideal location to improve, innovate and initiate new ideas. WRDC’s development plans for Al Gharbia are based entirely on economic development i.e. a better business environment and support for entrepreneurs. This will be achieved by promoting investments, creating incentives to attract and retain a quality workforce by tackling barriers to employment and delivering an effective infrastructure to enable widely-based development. The WRDC believes it will be possible to promote a cohesive framework to encourage business not only to trade together, but to create a sense of community and to gain benefit from a mixed-use dimension that brings industry, commerce, education, and lifestyle into a single location.

At the same time, Al Gharbia will not lose sight of the fact that it derives much of its uniqueness from the way in which its natural and cultural heritage has been preserved. The Region has the earliest evidence of human settlement in the Emirates, from as much as 200,000 years ago, while its islands saw the birth of the pearling industry and of the UAE’s tradition of maritime trade over 7,500 years ago. Fishing remains a key industry, based in ports like Dalma, Sila’a and Mirfa. In the deserts of the interior, many local citizens still pasture their herds of camels, as they have done for at least 3,000 years, while the great dunes south of the Liwa, on the edge of the Empty Quarter, are some of the largest on earth. In planning for the future development of Al Gharbia, it is essential that this heritage is preserved, and it is not surprising, Gharbiatherefore, that much of the region is scheduled to be set aside as protected areas, for the long-term benefit not only of the people of the UAE, but also of the animals, plants and desert landscapes to be found there.

British companies have been present in Al Gharbia for seventy years – since the signing of Abu Dhabi’s first oil concession, in which both BP and Shell were partners. Since then, many other British companies have become involved, largely, of course, in the oil and gas sector, but also in construction, power and water, planning and the tourism industry, as well as in the growing educational sector, symbolised by the branch of the Higher Colleges of Technology at Madinat Zayed.

It is time, I believe, for British companies to take a new look at what is happening in Al Gharbia. Over the next few years, the planned economic growth will be dramatic. We welcome all those who are prepared to be our partners on that journey.