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Abu Dhabi’s media environment is in the midst of rapid diversification, with ongoing investment in technology and skills in line with Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 goals to build a sustainable sector capable of driving long-term economic growth and creating highly skilled jobs for Emiratis. Abu Dhabi Media Zone has attracted hundreds of companies to date with film and television broadcast and production firms making up 30% of its tenants, while companies in the growing digital media segment account for another 13%. Indeed, digital platforms are forecast to outperform traditional media in MENA in the next three years, with compound annual growth of 28% anticipated over the 2013-17 period, with increased levels of e-commerce expected to be a major growth contributor across the region. This chapter contains an interview with Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54.

Dates represent Abu Dhabi’s most important commercial crop and agricultural export, with 99,136 tonnes produced in 2013, an increase from 80,461 tonnes a year earlier. Authorities are also encouraging the development of aquaculture as an alternative to fishing, with this segment seeing increased investment as new fish farms start to open in the emirate. Meanwhile the Abu Dhabi Farmers Services Centre, set up in 2009, aims to develop a sustainable agricultural industry and is expected to launch a project based on soil-free farming, which can offer water savings of up to 70%. Moving forward a food products and processing industry cluster at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi will enable firms to bring agricultural goods to market, with large facilities set to open in the cluster, including several processing plants and a ready-meals factory.

The UAE as a whole, of which Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate, ranked 25th in Yale University’s 2014 Environmental Performance Index, with the UAE scoring higher than any other Middle Eastern nation. Sustainability is a key focus moving forward and is included in the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. Since 2008, all new buildings in Abu Dhabi must comply with Estidama, the emirate’s sustainable building framework, while in January 2014 Abu Dhabi launched a Water Resources Management Strategy to increase the efficiency of water use among the population. Meanwhile, in an effort to reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons, the emirate is exploring alternatives such as nuclear and renewable energy, with these expected to generate 25% and 7%, respectively, of its energy needs by 2020. This chapter contains an interview with Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.

The health sector in Abu Dhabi has expanded rapidly on the back of a mandatory medical insurance scheme, while the sector has also been driven by population growth, rising health awareness and an increasing incidence of lifestyle-related diseases. Government health care expenditure nearly doubled between 2007 and 2012 to reach over $12bn that year, with government spending comprising 3.3% of total GDP, the highest ratio in the GCC. Human resource shortages will present a challenge to the emirate, with estimates suggesting that Abu Dhabi will require an additional 1600- 4800 doctors by 2022. Such challenges, though serious, have nonetheless opened considerable opportunities for expansion for health care providers in the emirate. This chapter contains interviews with Dr Maha Barakat, Director-General, Health Authority - Abu Dhabi; and Dr Matar Al Darmaki, Acting CEO, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.

The development of a knowledge-based economy and a highly skilled and productive workforce are key priorities of Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. To this end the government continues to invest significantly in education, with 21% of federal spending under the UAE’s $38.11bn draft budget for 2014-16 going towards public and higher education. Meanwhile private schools have played an increasingly important role in recent years as their number rose from 181 to 185 between 2010/11 and 2012/13. Moving forward, partnerships with the private sector are helping to match university programmes with high-growth sectors, while several new Ministry of Education teacher-training programmes are expected to have an impact on the emirate’s human resources development and job creation strategies. This chapter contains interviews with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; and Amal Al Qubaisi, Director-General, Abu Dhabi Education Council.

The past decade has seen significant sums invested in developing tourist facilities and infrastructure in the emirate, and the sector has been earmarked as key in supporting economic diversification in line with Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. The strategy appears to be paying off, with around 3.5m guests staying in Abu Dhabi in 2014, up 25% on the previous year. The emirate aims to continue this rising trend, and is investing heavily in the conferences and exhibitions sector, another area that witnessed strong growth in 2014, while the Yas Island and Saadiyat Island developments represent key planks in the government’s strategy to attract a diverse range of international leisure tourists. The emirate is also adding events to its sporting calendar, and in 2015 is due to host the World Triathlon Series and pro-cycling race Abu Dhabi Tour.