Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, H E Suhail Mohamed Al-Mazrouei of the United Arab Emirates in conversation with CNN Abu Dhabi’s Becky Anderson during the ongoing Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS) 2026, yesterday.
Abu Dhabi, UAE: The UAE capital is accelerating investment in infrastructure, digital transformation, and transport connectivity as it positions itself for the next phase of growth, said the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, H E Suhail Mohamed Al-Mazrouei of the United Arab Emirates, during the ongoing Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS) 2026.
Speaking on ‘The UAE Model: Building the World’s Best Infrastructure’, with CNN Abu Dhabi’s Becky Anderson, Minister Al-Mazrouei described Abu Dhabi as “the heart of the country”, noting that the emirate accounts for more than half of the UAE’s land area and serves as the nation’s principal industrial and economic engine.
“Abu Dhabi is not only an emirate, it’s the core of the UAE, but also an international player in many aspects,” he said, highlighting the country’s role in oil and gas production as well as heavy industries, including Emirates Global Aluminium.
The Minister said Abu Dhabi is leading the country’s infrastructure expansion, with major spending planned over the next four years across roads, rail, metro systems, and broader urban development projects.
“Abu Dhabi is growing, and it’s growing fast, but growing smartly in the city,” he said.
Minister Al-Mazrouei highlighted the UAE’s global infrastructure rankings as evidence of the country’s rapid development over the past five decades.
“Today, in infrastructure, we are number five in the quality of infrastructure in the whole world, and we are number five in the quality of roads,” he said.
He stressed that the UAE plans to accelerate road construction and transport efficiency in the coming years.
“The next four to six years, we will build roads that take us wherever we have built in the past 50 years,” he said, noting that the projects could improve transport efficiency by 60 to 70 per cent.
The Minister also pointed to the UAE’s response to recent extreme weather events as a demonstration of the country’s resilience and institutional agility.
He also praised emergency responders, the armed forces, and the wider community for their role during the crisis, saying the experience tested the UAE’s infrastructure systems and social cohesion.
“You build an infrastructure, you’re building a community,” Minister Al-Mazrouei said. “This incident tested that resilience, tested the ability for this community to get out of this challenge stronger.”
The Energy Minister said that Abu Dhabi is increasingly focused on advanced technologies, international partnerships, and artificial intelligence to shape future urban planning.
He revealed that the UAE has begun developing ‘Digital Twin’ systems that would create virtual models of buildings and city infrastructure to simulate future changes and improve planning outcomes.
Minister Al-Mazrouei estimated the Digital Twin sector in the UAE could exceed $2bn in value in the future, adding that advances in AI would continue to enhance the technology’s capabilities.
