• Initiative facilitates procedures for industrial investors in Abu Dhabi
• 1st phase of the project promotes automated issuance of industrial licenses and enhances level of e-Government services

Abu Dhabi, 01 March 2020: The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development’s (ADDED) Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) 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 (MOE).

H.E Humaid Bin Butti Al Muhairi, Assistant Undersecretary for Commercial Affairs at MOE, said that the e-connection initiative between 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.

H.E. Al Muhairi highlighted that the initiative  facilitates the administrative processes which industrial companies need to fulfill to operate in Abu Dhabi. It further raises the standard of services to company owners as they can finalize licensing procedures under a one stop shop platform providing automated electronic service.

He added that 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.

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.

H.E. Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, Executive Director, 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 (ADBC) which successfully linked up the services of more than 44 local and federal government entities.

He added that 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.

H.E. emphasized 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.

The ‘e-connection’ project between IDB and MOE includes collection of fees for publishing the official document of the industrial facility’s Memorandum of Association as well as the social responsibility fees through the ADDED’s website. The connection allows the official document to be published automatically during the process of issuing or amending the industrial license. Previously, the investor had to visit MOE to publish the official document and pay the prescribed fees after the issuance or amendment of the industrial license, in addition to visiting other government entities to complete the procedures of license’s issuance.

IDB is currently working towards finalizing the e-connection with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) to include the processing of its membership certificate within the process of license issuance. The release of a unified membership ID and the payment of Chamber’s fees are processed at the same time of issuing the industrial license with a ‘Production’ or a converted to ‘Production’ status. Previously, when issuing, amending or renewing the industrial license, the investor had to visit the ADCCI in person to secure the issuance of the membership certificate and pay the processing fees.