KHALEEJ TIMES, Monday, Aug 30, 2021 | Muharram 22, 1443
UAE has most competitive industrial sector in Arab world: UN report
Emirates:
The UAE has the most competitive industrial
sector in the Arab world, according to a UN report that reaffirms the nation’s
position as the region’s most quickly evolving, modern and competitive
industrial leader.
The latest United Nations Industrial
Organisation’s (Unido) global index released on Sunday places the UAE 30th in
the world in its Competitive Industrial Performance Index (CIP) report 2021 that
tracks 152 countries.
Globally, Germany ranked first, followed by China,
the US, Japan and South Korea in CIP 2021. The UAE was the only Arab nation that
received a “high performance” rating in the index and ranked third in the Middle
East after Turkey and Israel.
A statement from the Ministry of Industry and
Advanced Technology said the UAE has climbed five places since 2020 and nine
places since 2017 in the Unido CIP, “demonstrating the competitiveness of the
nation’s industrial sector and its business ecosystem.”
The achievement is in line with the National
Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology, Operation 300 billion, said the
statement.
Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the Minister of
Industry and Advanced Technology, said Unido’s report reaffirms the UAE’s global
reputation for developing an innovative industrial ecosystem underpinned by
advanced technologies and Fourth Industrial Revolution solutions.
The UAE’s rapid advances as a global industrial
pioneer is “a great testament to the foundations laid by our leadership, who
have paved the way for dynamic and sustainable economic growth over the next
fifty years, and beyond,” the minister said.
“The UAE’s continuous progress in Unido’s CIP
shows we are well on the way to achieving the goals set out by ‘Operation
300Bn.’ Thanks to the country’s attractive business environment to local and
international investors in the industrial sector, the UAE is cementing its
position as a global destination for pioneering future industries,” said Al
Jaber.
Infrastructure, industrial progress
The UN report noted the UAE’s progress in
infrastructure and the industrial sector’s business ecosystem. It referred to
the UAE’s strategy for sustainable growth in the industrial sector through
incorporating advanced technology, promoting science-based education, balancing
industrial progress with environmental sustainability, and encouraging
innovation.
The minister said that the UN index monitored the
UAE’s industrial sector’s growth, by identifying the key features of the
nation’s industrial development model and linking it to the UAE Vision 2021 and
the 2014 National Agenda.
“The UAE’s Vision and Agenda aim to create a
knowledge-based economy and help the nation climb global indices. To achieve
these goals and manage the strategy, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced
Technology (MoIAT) was established in July 2020,” the ministry statement said.
The Unido index assesses and measures the
industrial competitiveness of global economies through three main dimensions:
the capacity to produce and export manufactured goods, technological deepening
and upgrading, and world impact. These three dimensions are divided into eight
indicators.
The report reveals how the UAE has rapidly soared
up the global industrial ranks by increasing its industrial performance in four
out of eight indicators, marking a quantum leap for the sector. The Emirates has
ascended 14 places – from 31st to 17th – for its manufacturing exports per
capita, while moving up to 32nd for its total manufacturing exports.
The UAE is now up to 28th globally for
manufacturing value added per capita, while also rising eight places for the
share of its manufactured goods in its total export mix, moving up to 107th from
115th last year.
“MoIAT’s efforts, through its initiatives, focus
on smart industries, adoption of 4IR applications and solutions has strengthened
the foundations of a knowledge-based economy and increased industry’s
contribution to GDP. The UAE intends to build on its progress in the near
future,” the statement said.
The UN report praised the UAE’s model for
industrial development, noting that the nation has allocated various resources
and efforts to make the shift towards a knowledge-based economy by supporting
innovation and research and development. The UAE has also promoted education
according to world-class standards and is balancing infrastructure development
with environmental protection, according to the report.