A delegation from Abu Dhabi's Department of Economic Development , DED, has visited Emirates Global Aluminium, EGA, at Khalifa Industrial Zone, KIZAD, and were briefed on the company’s contributions to Abu Dhabi and the national economy of the UAE.

During the tour, Khaleefa Salem Al Mansouri, Acting Under-Secretary at DED, affirmed that the Abu Dhabi Government is committed to building an industrial sector that is globally competitive, and also identified the investment opportunities available in the emirate through the adoption of the latest technologies and innovations in various strategic sectors.

According to Al Mansouri, EGA plays an important role in the emirate by feeding into small and medium industries, and actively supporting the contribution that the industrial sector in Abu Dhabi makes to the gross domestic product of the emirate, which achieves sustainable economic development and advances the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

He added that EGA is the largest non-oil industrial company in the UAE, and applauded the growth by the company since the seventies to convert the UAE from a country with no aluminium production to the fifth largest producing country worldwide.

DED intends to develop the industrial sector in the emirate by focusing its support on the largest existing industries in Abu Dhabi, namely iron, steel, aluminium and petrochemicals, by connecting them to other targeted industries such as aviation, defence, industrial equipment, plastic products, and products derived from metal, the Acting Under-Secretary explained.

"This approach will energise new sectors associated with other industries such as the food industry, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and others," he added.

Abdulla Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at EGA, said, "Our company relies on a competitive local supply chain and a growing downstream customer base in the UAE to achieve commercial success. Both have grown with us over the decades and we were pleased to brief Mr. Al Mansouri on how together we have made a major contribution to the industrial prosperity and economic development of the UAE."

The delegation toured EGA’s Al Taweelah aluminium smelter and the nearby construction site of its upcoming Al Taweelah alumina refinery.

Source: WAM