UAE ranks first for quality of roads

The high quality of road projects in U.A.E. enabled the country to rank first in the world in terms of quality of roads on the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) for 2014-2015, thanks to the wise policies of the government and the directives of the wise leaders, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Vice President and Prime Minister of U.A.E., and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on winning the first place in all spheres, said Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works.
Al Nuaimi was commenting on the U.A.E.'s ranking in the Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015, issued by World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2014-2015, in which the country advanced seven places in the overall competitiveness of its economy within just one year.
The Ministry of Public Works, in coordination with Emirates Competitiveness Council, adopted the quality of roads as a global index for achieving the first place in response to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on charging ministries with the responsibility of achieving the first places on global indices.
Quality of roads is the second part of the second pillar, i.e., infrastructure, of GCI which assess the quality of roads in a certain country on scale of 1 to 7, with one being extremely underdeveloped and 7 being extensive and efficient among the best in the world.
Minister Al Nuaimi also noted that the federal ministry has constructed 800 km of federal roads across U.A.E. and is working on a strategic initiative to complete the connection of all municipalities and residential areas with the high-quality federal road network, in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed and H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid for ensuring the highest quality of life for all Emiratis and residents and the social cohesion of the country.
According to the GCI methodology used by WEF in the its latest report on global competitiveness, extensive and efficient infrastructure is critical for ensuring the effective functioning of the economy, as it is an important factor in determining the location of economic activity and the kinds of activities or sectors that can develop within a country.
The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015 assesses the competitiveness landscape of 144 economies, providing insight into the drivers of their productivity and prosperity. The Report series remains the most comprehensive assessment of national competitiveness worldwide.
Source: WAM