IDB activates new programme for Abu Dhabi’s industrial sector

Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development’s (ADDED) Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) announces the activation of a monitoring and self-evaluation programme for the industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi, to encourage them to self-evaluate their processes with the help of their technical specialists; the step which aims to make these facilities self-sufficient.

The programme focuses on all the eligible industrial facilities that hold production licences and meet the accurate technical standards to support the evaluation of situations, mistakes, damages and objectively comply with scientific and practical methods. In addition to ensuring the integrity of the systems of those facilities and their compliance through an integrated cycle, the self-evaluation method works on correcting any limitations by submitting a report to the IDB’s technical team for review and approval.

Rashid Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, ADDED’s Undersecretary, stressed the importance of the programme for the industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi in implementing the legislations and regulations pertinent to industrial licensing. The programme will further assist the industrial facilities in being more aware of the environmental, health and safety standards, boosting industrial production and reducing the operational costs to promote the competitiveness and quality of its products.

Mohamed Munif Al Mansoori, Executive Director of Industrial Development Bureau, stated that the IDB’s technical team has set accurate technical standards for the selection of the industrial facilities that could join the programme.

The selection will depend on the industrial facility’s compliance with the technical and administrative requirements for the last three years. He also clarified that the 1st phase of the programme targets 20 industrial facilities of those complied to the standards: 18 facilities in Abu Dhabi and 2 facilities in Al Ain City. This step, in turn, helps enhance the efforts of self-evaluation in terms of compliance with the requirements and the applicable systems and contributes to promoting transparency with the private sector.

Al Mansoori pointed out that an intensive training programme was conducted for the concerned staff in the industrial facilities that meet the standards, as their responsibilities and duties were defined clearly by following up with the results of the monitoring processes and corrective actions. This ensures consistent accuracy in preparing technical reports in a manner that reflects the actual situation of the industrial facility, which then conducts the industrial evaluation by using the forms that are independently designed for this purpose.

IDB has set 6 key criteria for the industrial sector’s monitoring and self-evaluation programme which are: compliance with the terms and requirements of the industrial licence, adoption of approved systems for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), installation of emergency systems, adherence to the use and update of the integrated systems for the management of hazardous materials, as well as to have a technical specialised cadre that enjoys sufficient technical experience within the Emirate, for not less than three years, and absence of major violations as a result of the technical audits practiced by the industrial facility in relation to customs exemptions and other related requirements.

Meanwhile, the the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development announced that the Abu Dhabi Government reduced the requirements for starting a new commercial business by 71 per cent.

In April 2021, a special task force, led by ADDED and launched as part of the department’s Investor Journey Programme, coordinated with more than 20 government entities and the private sector to achieve the reduction.

Through several discussions led by ADDED, the Abu Dhabi Government identified and removed duplicate requirements and modified existing requirements to facilitate the process of starting a business while not compromising public safety and security.

Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of ADDED, thanked all local and federal entities for helping achieve the ambitious target in a short time. All relevant changes are already reflected in respective systems and will be effective from Aug.1.

Rashed Abdulkarim Alblooshi stated that this considerable reduction is only the start of the programme, which is not a close-ended initiative but is an ongoing collaboration that will maintain the capital’s competitive advantage.

Sameh Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Executive Director of the Executive Affairs Office of ADDED, said that the move came after several recent announcements regarding the ease of doing business in the emirate. In early July, ADDED established the Abu Dhabi Residents Office (ADRO) to attract talents and provide services to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a preferred destination for living and working. Last week, ADDED announced that all licence issuance and renewal fees for Abu Dhabi Government entities have been reduced to Dhs1,000, and over 93 per cent of economic activities can now receive a commercial licence within six minutes.

To further enhance investors’ experience, ADDED is working closely with the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (ADDA) to improve the commercial licensing services on the TAMM-Abu Dhabi Government Services website, Al Qubaisi added.

Meanwhile the Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, has been selected by Abu Dhabi Residents Office, a division of the Department of Economic Development  to endorse exceptional tech talent for their Entrepreneur Golden Visa from Abu Dhabi.