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The project was launched following an agreement signed with the government of Malta in April 2007 and involves an investment of at least $300m, making it the largest ever foreign investment in the country. It is being run by SmartCity, a member of Tecom Investments of Dubai and is modelled on its successful business parks such as Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City. Once complete SmartCity Malta will be home to a vibrant knowledge economy community anchored by leading global, regional and local companies.
The first building at SmartCity Malta is up and running and a number of major international and local companies are already operating from there. They include US technology giants Cisco and Hewlett-Packard as well as software and consultancy firm Meridium and local mobile operator Go.
 SmartCity Malta’s CEO, Fareed Abdulrahman is understandably very pleased with the way things are progressing in Malta. “HP and Cisco are ideal business partners. It is really a two-way relationship as SmartCity Malta offers the best in terms of quality, connectivity and access to key markets.”
“This is just the start and there is more to come,” says Abdulrahman.
“If you look at the master plan, a whole city is being designed. We will provide the infrastructure for IT, power, roads, sustainability and so on. “The companies that come here will want to have 24/7 operations and we encourage that. It is what we call mission critical operation.”
The ICT infrastructure at SmartCity Malta is so secure and redundant that it will be practically impossible to shut it down. It is also designed to cope with any future technology breakthroughs and will position Malta as a regional centre of excellence between Europe and North Africa.
But the project is designed to be more than simply a business operation, with everything from retail outlets and restaurants to healthcare facilities and even a lagoon currently under construction.
“We’re creating the environment to make it attractive for knowledge workers during the day and friendly for families in the evening,” adds Abdulrahman.
Even more development work is scheduled in the years ahead.
“The second phase is due to be completed by the end of 2012. There will be around four to five phases, so I would say the whole project will take 10 years and will be complete by 2020.”
Meanwhile, the global marketing efforts by the government of Malta and SmartCity Malta mean that the employers are likely to come from all corners of the world.
“Dubai has always been a bridge between the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent and North Africa. Malta can be a bridge too, acting as a stepping stone from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe.” |
