Driving sustainable economic growth

Our biggest single contribution to the economies in the countries in which we operate is the value we generate ourselves. EGA has a track record of more than four decades of growth, and we aim to continue growing in the decades to come.

From a small regional aluminium smelter, capable of producing some 135,000 tonnes of metal per year, we have grown into an integrated global aluminium giant.

Today, one-in-every 25 tonnes of aluminium made worldwide is made by EGA in the UAE, and we are an increasingly important global supplier of bauxite, the ore from which aluminium is derived.

Procuring the goods and services we need locally increases the economic benefit of our activities in the countries in which we operate.

EGA prioritises orders from local suppliers whenever they are competitive commercially, encourages international suppliers to establish facilities within the UAE and Guinea, and works with Government and other stakeholders to enable the development of supply industries that do not yet exist in the countries.

In 2021, we spent over $1.79 billion on goods and services procured locally in the UAE, which was 45 per cent of our total procurement spend. 

We have joined the Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology’s in-country value programme, which aims to qualify and prioritise suppliers based on the proportion of their activity that is conducted within the UAE.

In Guinea, 54 per cent of procurement spend in 2021 was with local Guinean companies, totalling over $112 million.

To assist and encourage local businesses in Guinea to tender for contracts, we have developed a specialist training programme providing details related to our tender process, to help suppliers meet the quality and integrity standards we require.

We believe that the development of a local supply chain is vital for Guinea to realise the full economic benefits of its natural resources.

EGA supplies almost all the UAE’s primary aluminium needs and is at the heart of a growing broader aluminium sector in our nation.

Today around 10 per cent of EGA’s total production is sold domestically, and some 26 UAE downstream companies use our metal to make products, from window frames to car parts. These companies are located across the country, in every Emirate except Fujairah.

Proximity to our production, along with the UAE’s logistics and other business advantages, means there is potential for the UAE’s downstream aluminium industry to grow further. We work with our existing customers, potential new entrants, and other stakeholders to support this whenever it is commercially-attractive for EGA.

The spending of wages earned at EGA creates activity in other sectors of the economies of the UAE and Guinea.

The proportion of wages that are spent locally varies depending on employees’ preferences and personal circumstances. This is particularly marked in Guinea, where expatriates typically base their families outside the country.

This induced economic impact is spread across a wide range of sectors. In the UAE, the most important contributions are made by renting & real estate, utilities, wholesale & retail services, and financial services.

In 2018, we commissioned an expert study to measure the economic impact of the aluminium industry in the UAE. Please download the report via the link below.

The impact of the aluminium sector on the UAE economy