Today, Wednesday, September 18, marks the 50th anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, assuming power in the emirate, succeeding his late father, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, may God bless his soul.
Since assuming power, His Highness has begun to develop plans and strategies to achieve sustainable development in the economic, tourism, social and cultural fields. His famous saying: “We are moving forward towards a bright future, with a determination that knows no impossible,” has been a beacon for local Fujairah institutions to follow, continuing the path of achievements and consolidating the position of the UAE under its wise leadership.
Fujairah celebrates a record of accumulated achievements over 50 years, during which His Highness’s thought and love for the people of this good land formed the starting point and foundation for an inspiring development process that contributed to strengthening the emirate’s steps towards development and urban renaissance. At the same time, Fujairah has maintained its authenticity, heritage and cultural essence.
A remarkable role
His Highness the Ruler of Fujairah has played a remarkable role in Arab and international meetings, through which he conveyed the UAE’s point of view to world leaders when he represented the UAE in many international summits held over the past 50 years. In 1991, His Highness represented the country in the Sixth Islamic Summit in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, and in 2000, His Highness represented the UAE in the Ninth Islamic Summit. At the Arab level, His Highness represented the UAE in many Arab summits, such as the Tunis Summit in 2004, while His Highness participated in the Arab Summit in Algeria in 2005.
His Highness participated in the Arab summits held in Doha in 2009, Kuwait in 2014, Egypt in 2015, and Nouakchott in 2016. His Highness also had a prominent and active participation in the first Arab-European summit in Egypt in 2019, which was held under the slogan “Investing in Stability.” His Highness had previously participated in many international summits and conferences, including the “Millennium Summit” in New York.
His Highness also represented the UAE at the Interfaith Dialogue Conference held in New York in 2008, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in South Africa in 2002.
One of the most recent participations of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi was his participation in the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which was held in the State of Qatar in 2023, under the slogan “From Possibilities to Prosperity.”
Economic destination
During his reign, Fujairah has succeeded in achieving a remarkable economic leap, transforming the emirate into a strategic economic centre on the local, international and regional levels.
Fujairah Ports is one of the largest seaports in the UAE and is a hub for many projects, such as the strategic Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) project, the largest oil berth in the country, and the deepest berth in the world for loading giant oil tankers overlooking the Indian Ocean coast. The movement of unloading and loading containers at Fujairah Port reached about 5,000 containers in 2023. The production of refineries of petroleum products in the Fujairah Oil Industries Zone reached about 4,000 metric tons in 2023.
In the same context, Fujairah International Airport has strengthened its role as a hub for aviation, transportation and tourism on the eastern coast of the UAE. The airport has recently succeeded in enhancing travel options to and from the emirate, strengthening the list of cities that connect Fujairah to the world.
At the same time, the emirate witnessed a clear growth in the exploitation of natural resources by enhancing the work of rock crushers in the emirate, which supported the local and regional market, so that its products serve many infrastructure projects and giant projects in various parts of the country. Fujairah is the main source of rock crusher products for all parts of the Arabian Gulf.
With the amazing economic development and the diversity of the emirate’s financial resources, direct foreign trade imports amounted to about two billion dirhams for the year 2023, while the number of economic licenses last year amounted to 22 thousand licenses issued by the Fujairah government. There are now about 14 banks operating in Fujairah, working to enhance and facilitate procedures for companies and individuals.
Moreover, His Highness has promoted the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people, supporting investment in small and medium enterprises, with the number of commercial, industrial, professional and craft licenses issued and renewed reaching 21,000 licenses issued by the Emirate of Fujairah.
His Highness also encouraged attracting foreign investments to the emirate and enhancing foreign trade, which helped attract and develop capital and investments.
Human first
The human element occupied an important aspect in His Highness’s thinking, which was clearly evident when the “Fujairah Comprehensive Strategic Plan 2040” was announced, under His Highness’s generous directives to improve the quality of life for citizens and residents. The plan included a package of vital projects.
During his reign, Fujairah has witnessed many infrastructure projects aimed at improving the quality of life and boosting the economy, including the development of the main and secondary road network to facilitate traffic and enhance communications between the different emirates. Several housing projects have also been launched, aiming to provide comfortable and diverse housing units for citizens, including the “Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed City Project”, as these projects have contributed to strengthening Fujairah’s infrastructure and helped meet the needs of residents and visitors.
His Highness believed in the necessity of building the human being and his effective role in achieving comprehensive development renaissance in the country. His Highness issued Law No. (2) of 2018, stipulating the establishment of the “Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi Foundation for Humanitarian Works”, to contribute to achieving the lofty humanitarian principles, by providing support and financial and in-kind assistance to the needy segments of society, and securing a decent life for them. Before that, there was the “Fujairah Charity Association”, which achieved great achievements with His Highness’s support, the echo of which reached the horizons of all those in need.
Education and the future
The education sector in the Emirate of Fujairah has witnessed several stages of improvement and development in the past 50 years. His Highness has paid great attention to education since assuming power, working to enhance and develop the education sector in the emirate, stressing its importance in achieving sustainable development and prosperity.
Today, Fujairah includes a number of colleges and universities, including the Higher Colleges of Technology, the University of Science and Technology, the University of Fujairah, the Fujairah Aviation Academy, BIMS College, and London American Cities College, while the number of schools has reached 67 public and private schools.
His Highness was keen to support the talented, encourage national capabilities in producing creative ideas, and provide material and moral support to enable them to develop their capabilities and talents in the field of innovation and creativity.
health care
During his reign, Fujairah has achieved remarkable leaps in the field of healthcare, as the emirate hosts three government hospitals: Fujairah Hospital, Masafi Hospital, and Dibba Hospital, while the health sector has strengthened its presence through a number of private projects, such as Al Sharq Hospital and Thumbay Hospital, in addition to a large number of clinics and health centers, amounting to 117 clinics and health centers.
The number of doctors and nurses working in the government sector has increased to 1,211, and the private sector to 868 doctors and nurses, according to the latest statistics from the Fujairah Statistics Centre, in order to provide all forms of support and health care to members of society with flexibility and smoothness.
Cultural movement
His Highness’s interest in culture was evident, as Fujairah, during his reign, became a prominent cultural and creative landmark in Arab and international forums. The Executive Office of the International Theatre Institute awarded the World Theatre Gold Medal to His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah, for his support of the Institute and its activities.
The emirate hosts a rich series of cultural events annually, as it hosted the International Congress of the International Theatre Institute in 2022, while the Fujairah International Arts Festival has established itself as one of the most prominent local festivals, in addition to the Fujairah International Monodrama Festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.
During His Highness’s reign, Fujairah has strengthened its media presence by launching Fujairah TV, Fujairah Radio on frequency 92.6, and Zayed Radio for the Holy Quran, while Fujairah Creativity City is an important center for pioneering media project owners based in Fujairah.
Preserving heritage
His Highness was keen to maintain a unique blend that combines development with the preservation of authenticity and heritage. Therefore, preserving archaeological and historical areas was part of His Highness’s clear and comprehensive vision, instilling the values of antiquity and authenticity in the souls of the nation’s youth, and highlighting the Emirati heritage for tourists and visitors.
His Highness has repeatedly stressed the importance of introducing generations to the legacy and culture of their ancestors, as this has a positive impact on achieving the goals of sustainable development.
The emirate has important heritage and historical icons, such as Fujairah Fort, which dates back to the 16th century, and tells the story of the bravery of the people of Fujairah in defending their land, side by side with the rest of the emirate’s castles, such as Awhala, Masafi and Dibba Castles.
Al-Bidya Mosque is one of the oldest historical and archaeological mosques in Fujairah, dating back more than 500 years.
The archaeological aspect of the emirate is a major tributary to attracting visitors and tourists, and activating the tourism sector, to enjoy the best heritage tourism experience accompanied by cultural, heritage and entertainment events in the history of the emirate, as the number of visitors to archaeological sites, including castles, museums and heritage villages, reached about 114,305 visitors during the year 2023.
tourism boom
His Highness was interested in enhancing the tourism sector, as packages of tourism projects and hotels were developed to attract visitors and investors, as the number of hotel rooms reached about 5,000 hotel rooms, affiliated with 31 hotels for the year 2023, including 13 5-star hotels. The number of hotel apartment buildings in the emirate also increased to reach 11 buildings, and the revenues of hotel facilities reached 573 million dirhams, becoming a basic resource in raising the emirate’s economy.
Support sports
Under His Highness’s leadership, the emirate has strengthened its presence on the local and regional sports scene, and from there onwards to the international scene, as His Highness stressed the need to pay attention to various sports, and directed the support of teams and national teams to participate in sports events inside and outside the UAE.
Fujairah Marine Sports Club is an inspiring model of sporting success in Fujairah through a series of global participations and hosting many international championships throughout the world. The club recently celebrated the international recognition certificate, accrediting the Youth and Junior Training Academy as a permanent global center for training and education, under the umbrella and supervision of the International Marine Racing Federation (UIM) in March 2024.
As for the Fujairah Martial Arts Team, it has been keen to record amazing numbers in obtaining awards and medals every year, due to His Highness’s constant interest and diligent follow-up of all types of sports in the emirate. Meanwhile, the Fujairah Adventure Park has been a distinctive and modern addition for lovers of various mountain hobbies.
• The ruler of Fujairah played a remarkable role in Arab and international meetings, through which he conveyed the UAE’s point of view to world leaders.
• The human element occupied an important aspect in Hamad Al Sharqi’s thinking, which was clearly evident when he announced the “Fujairah Comprehensive Strategic Plan 2040” to improve the quality of life for citizens and residents.
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