Most of those who have visited Dubai more than once in recent years must have been impressed not only by its rapid growth, guaranteeing a high quality of life for its citizens and the ever-increasing community of expatriates, but also by the amazing things that are constantly being achieved by the Gulf country in normally unimaginable and shortest time-frames.

If Emirates airline offered the opportunity for thousands of Maltese to experience Dubai for themselves, either for leisure or for business, the arrival of SmartCity Malta – a project by Tecom Investments – will make Dubai’s bold developments and clever ideas much more relevant to Malta. What is not well-known in Malta is that some of these major ideas and developments are spurned by Tecom Investments itself.

The latest ground-breaking announcement is the Dubai Strategic Plan – 2015 (DSP) which, for many who are not familiar with the history of Dubai in the last 25 years, may sound like an impossible dream. But His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, once poignantly said, “the impossible does not exist in the (UAE’s) dictionary.”

This has already been done over the past seven years. Vision 2010 was announced in 2000. By 2005, Dubai had achieved what was planned to be achieved by 2010. Vision 2010 was very much orientated towards developing the economy and all that is related to it to entice investment from abroad and encourage local industry to receive the benefits of the burgeoning financial infrastructure.

“In the year 2000, the plan was to increase GNP to $30 billion by 2010. In 2005, that figure was exceeded, with GNP reaching $37 billion,” said Shaikh Mohammad. “The plan also included an increase in income per capita to $23,000 by the year 2010. In 2005, the average income per capita reached $31,000. In other words, we realised, in five years, economic achievements went beyond those which were planned for a 10-year period.

“Over the last few years, economic restructuring has been another very important achievement.

“In 2005, the non-oil sector played a major role, contributing 95 per cent to GDP, as compared to 90 per cent in 2000, and approximately 46 per cent in 1975. The services sector was the driving force behind Dubai’s economic growth, contributing 74 per cent of GNP, mirroring the economies of the developed world,” he said.

Now, DSP, set to maintain double-digit economic growth, achieve a GDP of $108 billion and increase real per capita GDP to $44,000 by 2015, embraces a far wider dimension, reaching into the livelihood and social condition of all residents, be they Emiratis or expatriates.

The most significant aspect of the DSP launched under the theme “Dubai…Where The Future Begins”, is that five areas have been identified whereby change is inevitable and ultimately will be made to accord with the times and targets for the future.

These are: economic development; social development; infrastructure, land and environment; safety, security and justice; and public sector excellence.

The plan sets out a strategic approach that focuses on developing the emirate’s most dynamic economic sectors that have been the key contributors to Dubai’s annual real GDP growth rate of 13 per cent since 2000.

“The plan encompasses many new attributes, with a foundation firmly built on quantitative achievements which form a solid base for sustained growth in the era of the knowledge economy. The plan will not be affected by oil price fluctuations.

Dubai has succeeded in diversifying its sources of income, and reducing its dependence on oil, so that today, oil’s contribution to GNP is a mere three per cent,” H.H. Sheikh Mohammed said. “We have come a long way towards achieving the objectives of an economy independent of oil. Indeed we have exceeded all expectations and predictions.”

Economic development

The Economic Development Plan (EDP) aims to sustain the level of growth of the emirate’s economy – which has been growing faster than the emerging economies of China and India over the past six years – with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 13 per cent. The EDP will optimise the trade sector which saw the highest increase in GDP share of all components of the service sector (comprising trade, construction, transport, storage and communication, real estate and business services, and tourism).

An underlying pillar of the EDP is that, within Dubai’s current GDP mix, the strongest sectors are those forecast to experience the strongest growth globally.

Specifically, the EDP aims to sustain real GDP growth of 11 per cent per annum for the next 10 years, increase real per capita GDP from $31,000 to $44,000 by 2015, increase productivity by four per cent per annum and create new sectors of growth with sustainable competitive advantage.

The future strategic growth of Dubai is based on six key “building blocks” which include tourism, trade, transportation and finance. The development of these “building blocks” will be strategically supported by seven horizontal growth enablers, which will be addressed in parallel. These are human capital, productivity, innovation, cost of living and doing business, quality of life, economic policy and institutional framework, and laws and regulations.

Social development

Having an effective social infrastructure is the key to reaching higher levels of sustained economic growth. Social development has always been at the heart of the Dubai government’s policies and it is a key component of the Dubai Strategic Plan.

“It is common knowledge that it is far easier to build financial capital than it is to build intellectual, psychological and moral capital,” said Shaikh Mohammad. “Building a road or a bridge may take a year or two, but building a person takes a lifetime. We live, today, in the ever-changing era of knowledge, requiring continuous learning which does not end at a certain level, or by attaining a certificate, or certain expertise. Social development, in all its aspects, requires distinct programmes, outstanding performance, patience and internationally-accepted criteria for measurement and evaluation.”

Under the DSP, initiatives will be launched to ensure nationals are the preferred employees in strategic sectors. Overall, the plan will improve the governance of the services sector and transform service delivery from welfare based on a social development model.

Infrastructure,

land and environment

In terms of infrastructure, land and the environment, the DSP covers four main areas – urban planning; energy, electricity and water; roads and transportation; and the environment. It will target sustainable development and seek to provide a balanced infrastructure that includes all aspects of development, while protecting the environment. An integrated roads and transportation system will be introduced to facilitate movement and improve safety.

Security, justice and safety

Under the DSP, Dubai plans to enhance its reputation as one of the world’s safest places to live in. It pledges to proactively protect human rights and to guarantee equality and a dignified life for all individuals in the community.

Public sector excellence

The DSP acknowledges that as Dubai evolves and the global environment is characterised by increasing competition and change, the emirate will need to continuously modernise its government’s performance. “A world-class government is essential to face global competitive pressures and expectations for greater transparency, accountability, efficiency, equity and responsiveness to the public in terms of customer-service excellence,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“While Malta and Tecom Investments are endeavouring to make SmartCity Malta a reality, many lessons can be learnt here for Malta. And if our positive record of being fast learners is anything to go by, then the bright prospects and economic vibrancy such a project is expected to generate may be even greater than those carefully studied and anticipated,” he concluded.