The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) issued 1,393 licenses for several types of businesses in Dubai in April 2010, highlighting a 61 per cent increase compared to April 2009. Most of the licenses were issued in the commercial sector (1,060) followed by the professional sector (305) and industry (21).
His Excellency Mr Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED said: “The increased number of licences issued and the growth recorded are a testament to the robust performance of the economy, and highlights the success of Dubai government’s policies to boost investment and drive the growth of various business sectors.”
‘Ready made garments’ led the list of the top 10 licensed activities in the commercial category with 172 licences issued followed by ‘General trade’ with 155 and ‘Perfumes and cosmetics’ with 125. ‘Restaurants’ led the list of the top 10 licensed activities in the professional category with 47 licenses issued in April 2010 followed by ‘Residences and building cleaning services’ with 44 (6%) each; ‘Cafés’ with 23 and ‘Men’s barber’ with 22 (3%).
In industrial activities, ‘Commercial printing’, ‘Mirrors and glass work’, ‘Metal construction parts’, ‘Blacksmithing and welding workshops’ and ‘Ships and boats repair’ accounted for 5 per cent of the licences.
The Intlaq scheme, an initiative by the Department of Economic Development to encourage more UAE nationals to set up businesses from home, recorded strong performance with 209 licences issued in April 2010, a 69 per cent increase from April 2009. The largest growth was recorded in the trade category, with 75 per cent of the total licenses issued followed by professional category with 25 per cent.
The total number of transactions during April 2010 reached 32,604 compared to 29,174 in April 2009, a 12 per cent increase. The number of cancelled licenses was 616.
