Dubai’s Crown Prince hailed the free zone and its achievements on its 40th anniversary
Established in 1985 with just 19 companies, Jafza has grown to over 11,000 companies from 157 countries, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence, said on the occasion of 40th anniversary of the free zone.
“Forty years ago, a remarkable chapter in Dubai’s growth story began with the launch of the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) in 1985. From just 19 companies at its inception, JAFZA has grown into a global hub, now home to over 11,000 businesses from 157 countries. As part of DP World, it has attracted more than Dh110 billion in investments over the past 20 years and supports a workforce of over 160,000,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
“We look forward to seeing JAFZA and Jebel Ali play an even greater role in accelerating Dubai’s economic growth and enhancing global trade through a unique ecosystem that blends innovation, integrated services, and seamless land, sea, and air connectivity,” he added.
Out of Fortune 500 companies, the free zone is also home to over 100 establishments.
In the past two decades, the largest free zone attracted Dh110 billion foreign direct investment. Jafza and Jebel Ali contributed 36 per cent to Dubai.
Supporting workers
In an interview on the occasion of the 40th anniversary, Abdulla bin Damithan, CEO and managing director of DP World for GCC, said Jafza also supports more than 300,000 workers indirectly.
He added that around 40,000 UAE citizens are employed across the free zone. The authority also runs programmes and scholarships to support young Emiratis to be part of the growing workforce across different sectors.
“We built our small warehouses here 40 years ago to attract customers. The government was very instrumental in terms of differentiating the free zone from the mainland, allowing investors to come to a place where they can do business with more incentives. We learnt, changed and adapted to many situations over the past 40 years,” said Abdulla.
He pointed out that Jafza is unique in terms of its offering as it connects sea, land, air and rail.
“Today, you cannot find anywhere in the world connecting a port, a free zone, an airport, and rail. This is a unique asset and something not found here in the region, probably not in the world.”
Abdulla elaborated that the free zone still has enough space for dedicated customers and to accommodate new customers.
“In fact, we are reclaiming and adding more space in the Jebel Ali port side for industrialists to come and establish. Some require key areas, so we’re reclaiming Terminal 5. Also, we are repurposing Terminal 1 for more customers. In fact, we have signed a deal for silos for grains and F&B at a cost of about Dh300 million investment,” Abdulla said during the interview.
Going forward, the CEO and managing director of DP World for GCC, said the aim is to open new markets for companies and provide more connectivity.
“Looking forward, we aim to open new markets for our customers and take Jafza to the world. We are building new economic zones and are enabling our customers in Jafza to expand and grow their business from here to new markets in Africa, Europe, India, Far East and to Americas,” said Abdulla.
In 2023, Jafza and Jebel Ali Port created over one million direct and indirect jobs, representing 27 per cent of Dubai’s total employment, including nearly 40,000 jobs for UAE nationals, said a press statement issued on Monday.
In 2024, it facilitated Dh713 billion in non-oil trade, representing a 15 per cent year-on-year increase from 2023. The free zone also accounted for 74 per cent of the emirate’s FDI in the manufacturing, trade, and transport sectors in 2023.
المصدر: جريدة الخليج
Published: 5 May 2025
