Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), the UAE’s flagship trade and logistics hub for the wider Middle East region and Africa, has launched its Business Centre at the iconic Jafza One offering advanced office space to companies at competitive price.

The centre was inaugurated by Ibrahim Mohammed Aljanahi, deputy CEO and chief commercial officer at Jafza in the presence of Kory Thompson, country manager UAE, Oman and Kuwait at Regus, said a statement from the company.

The centre, managed by Regus, the global flexible workspace provider, comprises 384 workstations; the offices are fully-furnished of varied sizes to suit business requirements, it said.

It will provide shared secretarial services, office services such as reception and telephone assistance, and five meeting rooms equipped with the latest audio and visual technologies, it added.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and chief executive officer, DP World, said: “Dubai, under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has been encouraging innovative, path breaking projects and supporting entrepreneurs to establish small- and medium-sized companies.”

“We aim to achieve the objectives of Dubai Plan 2021, to promote economic diversity and growth in the ‘post-oil’ era of the UAE,” he said.

Bin Sulayem added: “Over the years, businesses worldwide have witnessed a new trend of start-up enterprises and UAE is no different. Dubai, in particular, has entrepreneurs who are setting up small- and medium-sized start-ups to pursue their innovative business ideas on a shoestring budget.”

“Jafza’s Business Centre offers office space as per customer’s requirements along with other incentives, facilities and license privileges of Free Zone, to enhance their business at an attractive destination as Jafza One,” he concluded.

Aljanahi said: “The small and medium-sized companies play a vital role in a progressive economy and have the potential of developing and driving a country’s private sector.”

According to statistics from the Ministry of Economy, there are 350,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the country employing over 86 per cent of the total private sector workforce, and contributing more than 60 per cent to UAE’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Aljanahi added: “The centre will also be a landing pad for international investors wanting to get acquainted with the local and regional markets and understand trends. Companies can rent offices on short-and long-term basis to study the market and then invest in larger facilities.”

Thompson said: “Dubai is one of the world’s most exciting international business hubs and we are committed to enabling anyone who wishes to have a foothold in the city.”

“Jafza One is coming as a great addition to our existing network of 20 locations in the UAE and we look forward to welcoming members, new or old, to Jafza One centre and to demonstrating first-hand how world-class opportunities are created in world-class working environments,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service