Smart City project to make Dubai a model for others

Chief Overseer of Dubai’s conversion into a Smart City, Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, has stressed the project is running concomitantly on three main tracks.

The first track is related to ‘Smart Life’, and deals with health, educational, transport, communications, public utilities, energy services as well as activities of all forms, creating new quality for the population life, he said, noting that, the second track pertains to the ‘Smart Economy’, which concerns developing the smart companies and port services in Dubai Airports, smart stock exchanges (bourses), smart jobs and others which boost the role of the new project in supporting the national economy, and create an effective environment for large growing.

The third track is related to ‘Smart Tourism’, and deals with providing a smart and convenient environment for the visitors to the emirate, such as visa, flight, smart gates and smart hotel services.

“Other aspects the third track deals with include restaurant services, events and others, which reflects the reputation of the emirate, and its capability to achieve its objectives in the tourism sector, and also strengthens its location as a key transit crossing for more than 50 million passengers and over 10 million tourists per annum”, he said.

Shaikh Hamdan, who remarked at the meeting of the Higher Committee for turning Dubai into a Smart City, held here on Wednesday, told members of the committee the three tracks will shift Dubai to a new stage of development.

He stressed that a new history of Dubai is in the making thanks to the sign off by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum., Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

He also stressed on the need to finalise all the studies and executive plans within a month, with immediate effect from the meeting, adding that Shaikh Mohammed doesn’t like waiting long to witness achievement, because he always has new ideas in his mind.

“All the departments, organisations and companies affiliated to the government of Dubai will support the committee in its work on this strategic project, and I will make sure of that by myself”, he confirmed to the members of the committee.

“The project will create a new model in developing cities and in creating a qualitative life for the residents, and become a new international practice”, he said, adding that, our hearts will always remain open for cooperating with all, and in serving the man wherever he is.

Meanwhile, Head of the Executive Office of Shaikh Mohammed and Chairman of the project’s Higher Committee Mohammed Abdullah Al Gargawi, said the nature of the project, which has been given priority by the emirate’s Ruler, bears many challenges since it deals with the day-to-day life of man in all aspects, and not only the part of developing the government services.

“The major challenges facing the committee at present is to complete conducting all the studies and executive plans in just a month’s time, as mandated by Shaikh Hamdan,” adding that the new project will create economic opportunities and new economic sectors.

“The government will work on supporting these new companies and set up partnerships with them, and the present sectors working in the fields of communications, tourism, aviation and marketing will be the biggest beneficiary of the project, as per the preliminary studies of the project”, he noted.

“The committee comprises of highly competent members from both public and private sectors, and it will work on adjoining many other competent members through a task force which will work on the various tracks of the project, and will be operating in a paralleled way to accelerate in achieving the project, and also realise the objectives of the project within the next few periods”, he added.

The meeting was attended by Sami Dhahin Shaheen, Director General of Dubai Economic Development Department; Major General Khamis Matar Al Mazeina, Deputy Commander in-Chief of Dubai Police; Ahmed bin Humidan, Director General of Dubai Smart Government; Matar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Roads and Transport Authority; Hussein Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality; Hilal Al Marri, Director General of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Abdulla Al Shaibani, Secretary-General of Dubai Executive Council; Ahmed bin Byat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of du; Awadh bin Hadhir Al Mohiri, Ahmed Galfar, etisalat Group’s CEO; and Dr Amina Al Rostamani, Executive Chairperson of Tecom Investments.