Dubai: DP World’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) witnessed the highest customer registrations in a decade, marking a 30 per cent year-on-year growth, and taking the total number of companies to over 9,500 in 2022, it said on Wednesday.
During the past 10 years, Jafza has seen a 13-fold increase in logistics customers, while the vehicle and transport segment saw a compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent. The increased reliance on manufacturing, logistics and ecommerce opened new market opportunities for retailers and general traders and created a demand for logistics and transport companies to handle the movement of goods through the free zone.
China and India remain key trade and economic partners for the free zone. The number of newly registered Chinese companies in Jafza grew four times in 2022, while the total number of new registrations of Indian companies increased by 30 per cent from 2021.
Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and Managing Director, DP World UAE and Jafza, said: “Last year, the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached a record Dh2.23 trillion, increasing more than 17 per cent year-on-year. We can proudly say that we have played a significant role in enabling this achievement. With trade facilitated through our Jebel Ali hub increasing considerably in 2022, Jafza continues to take the lead in achieving national goals.”
“The notable increase in newly registered Chinese and Indian companies in the free zone has undoubtedly played a vital role in UAE-China trade, valued at Dh264.5 billion, and that of UAE-India trade at Dh180.9 billion, in 2022. Initiatives such as trade bridges, alongside multimodal connectivity and access to DP World’s global portfolio for end-to-end logistics and supply chain solutions have only enhanced the attractiveness of Jafza to business owners and allowed them to stay ahead of the curve,” Bin Damithan added.
