Abu Dhabi wants more private capital flowing beyond the usual urban suspects. The emirate approved a strategy to pull more than AED 1 bn into Emirati villages through tourism, hospitality, industrial projects, and real estate, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. However, no specific projects have been announced yet.

The pitch? Turn rural areas into investable micro-economies with their own commercial pull. Alongside the investment plan sits a parallel SME strategy, developed with the Economy and Tourism Ministry, aimed at helping village entrepreneurs reach national and eventually global markets — another sign the state wants rural development to gain more momentum.

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