ABU DHABI // The Executive Council on Thursday approved Dh2.4 billion of housing loans for Emiratis at its meeting.
Twelve hundred Emiratis will benefit from financial assistance that will allow them to begin or continue construction of their new houses.
The Abu Dhabi Housing Authority will disburse the loans to 944 citizens in Abu Dhabi and 256 in the Eastern Region and Al Gharbia.
The loan holders will repay their Dh2 million loan in interest-free, fixed monthly amounts.
And they will be exempt from repaying a quarter of the loan value when the construction of their house is completed.
This is in addition to a one-time exemption given to loan holders who clear their loans ahead of schedule.
The distribution of 736 residential plots, in Al Wathba North, and 263 homes, in Al Falah, was also approved.
Last December, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, approved Dh2.4bn of housing loans for 1,200 Emiratis.
In September 2013, Dh3.1bn of housing loans were offered to 1,554 citizens in Abu Dhabi, the Eastern Region and Al Gharbia.
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More from the Executive Council meeting:
■ Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed approves anti-corruption taskforce
■ New licence plates to champion Abu Dhabi
■ Abu Dhabi Crown Prince reviews Al Maqtaa Canal Walk project - in pictures
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The Executive Council also agreed to set up a human resources authority in the capital, which will merge with Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council.
Created in 2005, Tawteen helps Emiratis between the ages of 16 and 60 find work in the emirate.
The human resources authority will be an umbrella group to manage and develop the capital’s workforce.
It will help to meet the needs of the human resources sector, and enact a comprehensive system that covers development, planning and legislation.
That is in an effort to build a highly competent workforce while meeting the goals of sustainable Emiratisation to improve human development in Abu Dhabi.
The Executive Council also reviewed the achievements of the Abu Dhabi Information Security Programme.
The initiative aims to protect government data in line with global best practices.
The Abu Dhabi Government’s annual performance report for last year was also reviewed by the Executive Council.
The report summarised the performance of various departments such as government affairs, justice, health and safety, social development, economic development, and infrastructure and the environment.
The report was aimed at strengthening accountability and transparency and enhancing government performance.
Notable projects underway in the capital include Dh1.6bn of public works to pump desalinated water to a fresh water aquifer near the Liwa oasis in the Western Region.
Scheduled for completion in early autumn, the reservoir will provide as much as 40 million gallons of water a day – for up to 90 days – in the event of an emergency.
Other large-scale works include the Dh1.5bn expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s terminals, and the construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.
Early next year, Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company will commission a Dh5.5bn underground pipe to transport sewage from Abu Dhabi and the capital’s surrounding areas to sewage treatment plants in Al Wathba.
The performance report also provided information on key performance indicators, particularly those regarding the emirate’s ongoing and future projects, the accomplishments last year, and the challenges facing various sectors during the implementation of the various projects.
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