GROWING local demand for IT hardware helped Dubai record a 10 per cent climb in first-half IT hardware trade, Dubai customs reported.

It said trade grew to Dh126 billion ($34.2 billion) from Dh115 billion over the same period last year. The emirate has enjoyed a demand boom as it strives to become the world’s smartest city within three years, a statement said. 

Ahmed Abdul Salam Kazim, director of the strategy and corporate excellence department at Dubai Customs, said: “The growth in Dubai’s foreign trade in IT hardware mirrors the successful transformation of the UAE into a Knowledge Economy.

“This is clearly reflected in the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum in 2014, which shows the country’s remarkable advancement in competitiveness indicators, becoming the 12th most competitive nation globally.”

The project to establish a national space agency and send the first Arab spaceship to Mars by 2021 is the beginning of a new chapter in the UAE’s scientific and technical progress, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

“We are putting together the building blocks to support Dubai Customs transformation into the world’s smartest customs within Dubai as the world’s smartest city.

Kazim said the emirate is keen on providing the best customs facilitations for trading in IT hardware, in an effort to enrich Dubai’s capacity to accommodate an even larger share of the world trade in these products.

“We are currently cooperating with the world’s most prominent mobile phones and laptop companies, seeking to leverage Dubai’s status as a starting point for their products distribution to the world,” Kazim concluded.