Al Nuaimi: Pioneering strategies of Ministry of Public Works

Abu Dhabi: At a presentation given to foreign correspondents currently visiting the UAE on the occasion of the 42nd National Day, Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works, outlined the body's strategic purpose in being pioneering and raising the standards of public works to world class levels. Tasked with the mandate of designing, planning, implementing and improving the new and existing living conditions of all citizens and residents of the UAE, Al Nuaimi said that all resources, including state investment and initiatives directed by the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, are utilised to ensure compliance with guidelines to secure the interests of the nation. "The Ministry examines the entire scope of all projects in its purview, from inception to hand-over, in order to guarantee that contractors adhere to all rules and regulations regarding safety, security and sustainability for all works." Al Nuaimi continued, "The Ministry carries out projects on behalf of the Federal Ministries and the Presidential Office, and for 2103 has a budget of AED 5.25 billion apportioned according to need. We are fortunate that in the event of circumstances being identified requiring attention on top of our existing budget allocations, we can apply for extra financing from the Sheikh Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, which makes funds available to benefit the nation." Speaking in more detail about the projects currently being implemented, Mr. Al Nuaimi highlighted the Federal Housing Programme, which has the objectives of building or re-furbishing accommodation for citizens across the state. To date, the programme has given assistance to 31,000 families through a combination of loans and grants, and is now being expanded to absorb the new trend of building sustainable communities, to include all possible needs of a communal society, from civil defence to public gardens, education to health and inbuilt environmental awareness. "By using solar power, efficient insulation, heat reflecting materials and low-power electrical lighting, we are able to drastically cut the environmental impact of our projects and lead the world in sustainability in construction. Additionally, with the flexibility of smart services, or e-Government, we are able to minimise the documentation requirements and maintain better control by alleviating bureaucratic delays." He went on to explain that the main objective of all the ministry's projects was to utilise a specific planning approach to provide citizens and residents with all services, no matter how remote they may be, and achieve happiness for everyone. "Our projects are too numerous to mention here, but we are currently in the middle of a phase of construction and development involving community based residential complexes, road networks, landfills, communications infrastructure and drainage across the country. Hospitals and clinics have top priority, and we are ensuring that all community projects include every amenity and facility." During a Q'&'A session, the minister was asked about the preponderance of high-rise buildings which seem to compete with each other for space across the Emirates. "Apart from the financial considerations, it being more economical to build high-rise dwellings, we have a traditional love and respect for the land," he said, "And as a result, our preference is always to build 'up' instead of across valuable ground space. We also have a free-market economy here in the UAE, so we adhere to the ideology of supply and demand." The Minister concluded the presentation by declaring that the Ministry is involved in all of its projects on a personal level, not just as a government entity, but a group working together to achieve happiness for the nation's citizens and residents. "There is no secret to how fast we can make progress for our people," he said. "We continually upgrade our local and federal departments to expedite the process, and now smart-government is improving things even more, enabling us to fulfil the needs of our nation. We visit all four corners of the country to research the needs of the people, whether in remote regions or in urban districts, in order to fully implement our pioneering strategies." – Emirates News Agency, WAM