New UAE President is friend of Kerala, state can expect major investments

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new ruler of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed, is as dear a friend of Kerala as his predecessors. During the last government, when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came to the UAE to seek foreign investment, he was the one who directly expressed interest. Sheikh is the chairman of Mubadala, one of the largest investment firms in the world. Mubadala has investments of over Rs 16 lakh crore in more than 30 countries.

Mubadala is interested in the petrochemical complex, the defense park, life sciences park, the food processing center and the aviation industry.

Dubai DP World, which has investments in the port sector in Kerala, is also ready to invest in logistics parks, industrial parks and water transport. They are also ready to be a part of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod waterway. They have ships that can run service at shallow depths. With Sheikh Mohammed as President, things will get faster. He was the chairman of the Zayed Charitable Foundation in the UAE, who sent supplies to Kerala during the floods.