The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development’s, ADDED, Industrial Development Bureau has announced the implementation of the first phase of its ‘e-connection’ project in partnership with local and federal entities to facilitate the issuance of industrial licenses in Abu Dhabi, with the first phase being launched with the Ministry of Economy.
Humaid bin Butti Al Muhairi, Assistant Under-secretary for Commercial Affairs at the Ministry of Economy, MoE, said that the e-connection initiative between the MoE and ADDED is a significant move towards strengthening the integration of roles between local and federal entities, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the UAE’s business environment and support companies operating in various sectors including the industrial sector.
Al Muhairi highlighted that the initiative facilitates the administrative processes which industrial companies need to fulfil to operate in Abu Dhabi. It further raises the standard of services to the company owners as they can finalise licensing procedures under a one-stop-shop platform providing automated electronic service.
The MoE was one of the first federal entities to support the initiative which would facilitate the licensing applications particularly the publishing of official documents and payment of the social responsibility fees required from the private sector, he added.
Al Muhairi further noted that such initiatives implemented through the improvement of laws and procedures for business owners, apart from the advanced infrastructure and a variety of investment incentives provided to investors, contribute to enhancing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for doing business in vital sectors such as industrial businesses. This latest move is consistent with the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 to enhance the country’s competitiveness and support to high-value industries.
Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, Executive Director, Industrial Development Bureau, IDB, said that integrating industrial licensing procedures between ADDED and the local and federal government entities involved in the process of issuing licenses would facilitate and simplify the procedures of setting up investment projects in the industrial sector.
Al Mansouri explained that the “e-connection” project for industrial licensing activities follows the success of a similar initiative for commercial licenses launched by ADDED’s Abu Dhabi Business Centre which successfully linked up the services of more than 44 local and federal government entities.
The IDB’s project seeks to enhance the efficiency in submitting the requirements and the major steps followed by an industrial investor to secure faster issuance of the license in Abu Dhabi, including automating the procedures through ADDED’s website www.added.gov.ae and thereby enhancing the level of its services to industrial investors, he added.
He emphasised that the tie-up with local and federal entities that are involved in the process of issuing industrial licenses will contribute to reducing the number of entities that must be referred to by the investor to obtain approvals. The initiative offers a one-stop-shop system which unifies the process of paying government fees as well as strengthens the exchange of data and information between ADDED and its strategic partners at the local and federal levels to further develop the local business environment in the emirate.
Al Mansouri said: “The ‘e-connection’ initiative between IDB and the federal and local government entities is designed to facilitate the system of issuing industrial licenses, which then reduces investors’ time and effort and facilitates the issuance of their licenses. This contributes to enhancing the environment of doing business in Abu Dhabi.”
According to Al Mansouri, the first phase of the initiative is a result of the successful cooperation with MOE, emphasizing that ADDED will continue its efforts to complete the ‘e-connection’ with all relevant government entities, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the local economy and support the sustainability of the UAE’s economy.
IDB is currently working towards finalising the e-connection with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry to include the processing of its membership certificate within the process of license issuance.
