The next few years are likely to see a major shift in the provision of health care from the public sector to the private sector. Abu Dhabi has a high standard of information technology. All the major computer manufacturers are represented here. In some ways, Abu Dhabi was likened to Bangkok, given the easy availability of counterfeit CDs and fake Lacoste, Chanel T-shirts, handbags and belts. To counteract this, a Federal Trade Mark Law came into effect in January 1993 and a Copyright Law in April 1993.
Conditions are now much improved.
The skyline of Abu Dhabi has been likened to that Manhattan. The Department of Social Services and Commercial Buildings popularly known as the Khalifa Committee is mainly responsible for the creation of the islands business and residential district. Although, the work of the Committee has been seriously affected following the decision of the Government to put a freeze on the issue of new building permits, there is sufficient activity to warrant attention to this market. Whilst British Contractors may find it difficult to compete against locally based companies, there are ample opportunities in this market for UK suppliers of building materials. British companies enjoy enormous goodwill in this area and, in addition, British Standards are widely used in tender specifications.