At the time of writing the UAE celebrates its 50th anniversary. The UAE’s Golden Jubilee official celebrations commenced on 6 April 2021 with the year’s theme of celebration being the ‘Year of the 50th’, which came to a focus on 2 December 2021 – National Day. I’m sure all IFE members from around the world will join me in congratulating the UAE on its achievements over the last 50 years and plans are already in place to build on this success over the next 50 years.
This edition supports the recommencement of the ‘in-person’ Intersec Exhibition and we warmly welcome the readership to the event both in person and virtually. This event brings together industry professionals and provides the opportunity for knowledge sharing and allowing collaboration across the sector, region and on a global platform.
2021 closed with the construction and built-environment sector remaining confident with a high level of optimism and this has continued to be led by projects in Saudi Arabia.
Expo 2020 opened its doors to the world in October 2021 and has been a huge success and will no doubt continue in this vein until the end of March 2022. On the horizon is the eagerly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar and this again will showcase the region’s ability to stage major events in the future.
On a recent business trip to the UK I attended the IFE International General Assembly meeting held in London on 8 November 2021 and also presented at a workshop at the Fire 2021 conference, and it was extremely encouraging to see the optimism within the industry.
Key issues discussed at the IGA workshop included the volunteer recognition programme as it is greatly appreciated and acknowledged by the IFE Board of Directors the amount of hard work and support given to the institution by the many volunteers. Other key areas of discussion focused on the need for a consistent funding model to support international and UK branches, the importance of professional competence and CPD-related activities and HQ resourcing – what is the optimum resourcing level to deliver the corporate business plan.
The IGA members met with the Board of Directors and a well-deserved vote of thanks was given to Grant Lupton who has stepped down from the board, and I’m sure all will join me and wish Grant all the best in his retirement.
Steve Hamm, CEO of the IFE, provided an update from the board and highlighted membership growth now standing at c.12,000 members and the organizational objective of improving efficiency and communications. Key action points within the IFE strategy remain a focus on competency along with training, CPD and qualifications. It was acknowledged that examination papers produced in Arabic and other languages would help support international members gain further qualifications and competence.
Market overview
The UAE construction market was valued at USD 101.45 billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach a value of USD 133.53 billion by 2026, registering a compound annual growth rate of 4.69% over the period of 2021–26. The construction market in Dubai has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the halt of many construction projects and which in turn has led to a reduction in net profits in the sector. The construction sector is at the heart of the UAE economy, and it is very encouraging to see that the industry is expecting rapid growth in the coming years and will play an important role in the economic uplift and development of the country. Construction demand in Dubai continued to be strong in the run-up to Expo 2020, supported by new tourism and hospitality projects and public spending on infrastructure, although rising materials costs and funding constraints are exerting pressure on profit margins.
Also, Israel and the UAE have reached an historic deal to normalize ties opening up investment opportunities. The countries agreed to develop a joint strategy to boost cooperation in the energy sector. Abu Dhabi aims to sustain long-term growth and has ambitions in the commercial infrastructure space and its government aims to attract 7.9 million tourists annually by 2030 under the auspices of its Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan.
Look forward
The UAE construction market remains highly competitive, but it presents many opportunities for growth which are expected to further drive market competition. Events such as Intersec along with the innovation and competence within the fire sector will no doubt rise to these challenges and keep fire-safety levels high across the region.
For more information, go to www.ife.org.uk/GCC-UAE
About the Author
Branch President, GCC Branch – The Institution of Fire Engineers.
