Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the leading national entity for development aid, today attended the inauguration of the Northern City Residential and Infrastructure Project, one of the most important strategic projects in Bahrain. ADFD allocated AED2.6 billion (US$700 million) towards the development of the project.
The project was inaugurated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, and His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Bahrain. His Excellency Basim bin Yacoub, Bahraini Minister of Housing, His Excellency Khalifa Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of ADFD, and several ministers and senior Bahraini government officials were also in attendance.
The Northern City Residential and Infrastructure Project has been developed as part of the AED 9.175 billion (US$2.5 billion) grant provided by the UAE to Bahrain within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) development programme for Bahrain. The grant is managed by ADFD. The project entails the construction of 2,694 housing units in the Northern City, in addition to the development of key infrastructure, including roads, bridges and sewage networks.
His Excellency Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD, said: “ADFD has actively supported the Government of Bahrain over the past years in achieving its sustainable development objectives. The projects funded by ADFD in the country have translated into profound benefits for Bahraini society and accelerated the country’s economic growth.”
He added: “ADFD is committed to stepping up collaboration with the Bahraini government and moving ahead with the implementation of several vital development projects in the country that serve key sectors including housing, water, health, transport and communications.”
For his part, His Excellency Basim bin Yacoub Al Hamer praised the role of the UAE and ADFD in supporting various development programmes of the Bahraini government. He pointed out that the Northern City Housing and Infrastructure Project will help the country meet the surging housing demand from thousands of it citizens.
He added: “The Northern City project is one of the most strategic housing projects implemented by the Ministry of Housing in Bahrain. In fact, it is the largest in terms of area and number of housing units provided, and is set to become home to 100,000 people upon completion.”
Spanning an area of nearly 740 hectares, the city was built after filling about 37.5 million cubic metres of land in the shallow part of the Bahrain Island with a depth ranging from half a metre to two and a half metres over the past two years. In addition to housing, the project involves the construction of roads and two dedicated pedestrian and vehicular bridges, as well as the provision of sewage services.
ADFD’s contribution to the development of Bahrain dates back to 1974. Since then, the Fund has actively supported the Government of Bahrain through the allocation of AED10.5 billion towards the implementation of 26 development projects.
