Officials and participants at Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit.
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS) 2026 drew to a close yesterday after three days of dynamic discussions, groundbreaking ideas, and a renewed spirit of collaboration among leaders shaping the future of global infrastructure.
Prashant Kapila, Board Member at FIDIC, reflected on the depth and breadth of the sessions.
In his remarks, he said, “We’ve had extremely rich and widening discussions across the US, from the future of cities and infrastructure systems to procurement, contracts, risk, and delivery. Infrastructure success is never just about execution but is about the quality of decisions made long before execution begins.”
Kapila emphasised that planning, procurement strategy, risk allocation, collaboration, and life cycle thinking are critical to achieving outcomes that are not only efficient but also resilient and sustainable.
Highlighting the interconnected nature of the sector, Kapila noted, “Infrastructure today is no longer lenient. It is an ecosystem where governments, consultants, contractors, financiers, and operators are all interconnected from the very start.”
During the event, Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre signed a strategic partnership with Trojan Construction Holding to advance the Bunaa Programme, an initiative focused on preparing and empowering future Emirati talent for Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure industry.
The agreement was formalised in the presence of UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure H E Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei and other dignitaries.
Under the collaboration, Trojan Construction Holding will contribute to the programme by offering practical training opportunities, mentorship, and direct involvement in ongoing infrastructure projects.
The company will also support participants throughout various phases of the programme, helping equip them with the technical skills and industry experience required to meet evolving sector demands.
Hisham Al Zeir, Commercial Affairs Director at the Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre, said, “We have come to the close of three remarkable days of compositions that have ranged from the strategic to the technical. Three days of hard questions, generous answers, and the kind of honest exchange that only happens when so many serious people are gathered in one group.”
Al Zeir distilled the summit’s core message as “Infrastructure is no longer a sector defined by what we build; it’s a sector defined by how we build it together.”
“Every actor in our ecosystem, whether it’s the client, the consulting engineer, the contractor, the financier, or the regulator, has evolved, and none can deliver alone,” he said, adding that successful projects require a continuous chain of trust, with procurement, contracts, administration, and dispute avoidance forming integral links.
