His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah
His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi. Image Credit: WAM

Sharjah: His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, said that efforts to find jobs for Emiratis in Sharjah are on in right earnest and that work is also ongoing to address the conditions of retired expatriate employees of Emiratis in the emirate. He announced a package of development projects that will be implemented in the cities of Sharjah during 2022.

Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi’s views were aired on the ‘Direct Line’ programme broadcast on Sharjah TV and Sharjah Radio, wherein he responded to a question raised during the programme about the 1,000 jobs that had been announced at the end of last year.

Dr Sheikh Sultan said: “We work as a team. This team includes a number of departments. We work to find jobs other than those in the government. As for creating jobs, these are all new additions to the budget. Our work in this team differs from what the government puts in because when they decided on the budget, they specified the expenses and the employees that were needed for their departments. But we, in this team, have other ways.”

Enough training for new employees

Regarding the 3,000 jobs at Sharjah Police, Dr Sheikh Sultan said Sharjah Police should do the replacement gradually and in accordance with certain effective mechanism so that the new employees can have enough training and carry out their duties efficiently.

Regarding the 5,400 retirees, Dr Sheikh Sultan said the issue had been taken into consideration in the 2022 budget. Their pensions had also been taken into account as they were categorised as ‘families whose breadwinners are deceased’, ‘families whose breadwinners are bedridden’, or ‘families whose breadwinners can work’. He promised that 2022 will herald good tidings for these categories — especially since the lion’s share of the budget had been dedicated to social services.

‘Keen on stability of society’

As for employment, Dr Sheikh Sultan said that more attention and priority had been assigned to needy families to help them attain stability and cohesion in society. He said: “We are keen on the stability of society, whose nucleus is the family, founded by young men and women, whom we are keen to provide a decent life, so that they can form a successful and stable family that contributes towards building a successful society. We strive to achieve goodness for the community, God willing.”

With regard to recruitment, Dr Sheikh Sultan urged Emiratis to show sincerity at work and not to keep rejecting job offers merely because they “dislike” certain types of jobs.

Regarding 2022 projects, His Highness said that the most substantial development project to be accomplished during 2022 is the opening of Khor Fakkan University, construction for which will be completed in the middle of this year for the university to open after the summer term. He said for him “it is the most important project now”.

Developments in Kalba and Khor Fakkan

Dr Sheikh Sultan added: “We have other projects also, including investment, entertainment and tourism — all of which will come on time, according to the urban development plan. We have almost completed the development of the city of Khor Fakkan and this year, we will complete the development of Kalba and then the Central Region. It was scheduled to be developed in 2023, but we decided to start its development now. We also have several projects in the Central Region, including Sharjah Safari, Al Shari’aa Project, and Al Batha Lake — all of them will be implemented this year.”

Dr Shaikh Sultan further said: “As for the city of Kalba, its projects are huge, as we notice that Kalba has a beach that does not exist in any city. Work is in progress to replace all old buildings by the end of this year. We also have the Kalba market project; work is also going on for the Al Kitab Rest Project and we have a large project at the entrance to the city of Kalba, which is the hanging gardens and the lagoon — all of which will be completed this year.”

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Clock Tower project

About the University of Kalba, His Highness said that work is underway and the university is scheduled to open in mid-2023. “We also have the Clock Tower project on Al Wahda Street, extending from the Khatam Milahah entrance to Oman to Fujairah Airport. This project will be opened this year, God willing,” he added.

Dr Sheikh Sultan concluded his views, saying: “As we develop society, we develop facilities for it, so that citizens and residents can enjoy the facilities. These projects also open up job opportunities for the owners of small investment projects, and we wish good luck to all.”