The UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade has appointed Dr Mattar Ahmad Al Ali as director of the Department of Analysis and Trade Information.

The move is also in line with the government's plan of increasing efficiency throughout its institutions through the inclusion of persons with extensive experience and competencies who can realise positive change.

Dr Al Ali holds a PhD. in urbanisation and population from the University of Wales, United Kingdom, and an MS in geography with specialisation in land-use specialisation from Eastern Michigan University in the US.

He also has a diploma from the UN-affiliated Cairo Demographic Centre as well as a BA degree in Geography from the University of Cairo.

The Department of Trade Analysis and Information of the Ministry of Foreign Trade monitors the contents of reports from international organisations covering the economic affairs and trade of the UAE, especially with regards to statistics on exports of oil and the diversity of the export structure.

The new director previously served as an adviser to the activities of the UN Development Programme in the UAE.-TradeArabia News Service