Hamdan bin Mohammed and Theyab bin Mohamed attend EGA’s 50th Anniversary

- Hamdan bin Mohammed and Theyab bin Mohamed attend Emirates Global Aluminium’s 50th anniversary celebrations

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Martyrs’ Affairs, attended a celebration hosted by Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to mark its 50th anniversary and a decade since Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) and Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL) merged to form the company.

On this occasion, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: "Fifty years ago, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum launched Dubai Aluminium with an annual production capacity of 135,000 tonnes, establishing one of the first pillars of the UAE’s industrial transformation and economic diversification. A decade ago, DUBAL and EMAL merged to form a national industrial powerhouse, embodying the spirit of the Union and strengthening global competitiveness. Today, Emirates Global Aluminium is a leading force in the UAE’s industrial development, producing over two million tonnes a year and contributing around AED23 billion to the national economy."

His Highness praised EGA’s leadership in technology and sustainability, noting that it became the world’s first producer of solar aluminium and has launched a new generation of low-carbon products. These achievements reinforce the UAE’s industrial progress and its commitment to sustainable development. His Highness emphasised that “global leadership is achieved through ambition, innovation and determination, the very values on which the Union was founded.”

His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE’s industrial sector is a driving force of the national economy and a cornerstone of the country’s development model, one that has enabled the UAE to build a diversified and sustainable economy recognised worldwide for its competitiveness.

He noted that Emirates Global Aluminium stands as one of the nation’s most distinguished industrial achievements, having powered the UAE’s growth and diversification for more than five decades. His Highness added that the UAE’s leadership has placed innovation and sustainability at the heart of its long-term vision, driven by the conviction that industrial excellence is vital to balanced, future-ready development that safeguards the prosperity of future generations.

EGA is the world’s largest producer of premium aluminium, which ranks as the UAE’s biggest export after oil and gas and reaches customers in more than 50 countries.

Aluminium is an essential material for modern life and for building a more sustainable future. With global demand for aluminium set to rise by 50–80% by 2050, EGA is expanding to capitalise on this demand growth and strengthen its position as a global industrial champion for the UAE.

Abdulnasser bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “The visit of Their Highnesses is not only a profound honour for everyone at EGA, but also a powerful affirmation of our mission and contribution to the nation. Guided by the UAE leadership’s vision, EGA has been a cornerstone of the UAE’s industrial strength and global reputation for more than fifty years. Today, we are accelerating that legacy — advancing with clarity and ambition towards becoming a smart, sustainable, globally competitive industrial champion that supports the UAE’s future prosperity and economic transformation.” 

EGA was founded in 1975 as Dubai Aluminium by the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, laying the groundwork for one of the UAE’s earliest industrial success stories. What began in Jebel Ali as a small regional smelter—producing just 37,000 tonnes in its first full year of operations in 1980—has evolved into a global-scale enterprise that now produces the same volume every five days. Earlier this month, EGA surpassed a major milestone of 50 million tonnes of cast metal since start-up. The Jebel Ali plant has undergone eight expansions, reflecting the company’s continuous growth and long-term industrial ambition.

Emirates Aluminium — the world’s largest single-site aluminium smelter when built — was established in Al Taweelah in 2007 by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who later directed the merger of EMAL and DUBAL in 2014 to form Emirates Global Aluminium.

Over a decade of unity, EGA expanded upstream and internationally, with operations across the value chain from alumina refining and aluminium production to recycling in the UAE, Europe and the United States. During the visit, Their Highnesses reviewed EGA’s transformation and strategic growth strategy. EGA is progressing plans to develop the first new primary aluminium plant in the United States since 1980, which will almost double American primary aluminium production. In recycling, EGA is building a global platform through the acquisition and expansion of plants in Germany and the United States, and the construction of the UAE’s largest aluminium recycling plant at Al Taweelah. 

EGA has been developing its own smelting technology for over 35 years, deploying it in every expansion since the 1990s and upgrading all earlier production lines. In 2016, it became the first UAE industrial company to license its core process technology internationally, a key milestone for the nation’s knowledge economy.

Today, EGA is a leader in the development and application of Industry 4.0 technologies.  EGA is also recognised by the World Economic Forum as an Industry 4.0 Global Lighthouse, the first in both the UAE and the global aluminium industry.

EGA has one of the highest Emiratisation rates among major companies on a like-for-like basis and employs more than 1,300 UAE Nationals, including over 700 under the age of 35. The company aims to accelerate targeted Emiratisation to reach 50 % by 2027, with up to 600 additional UAE National hires planned over the period.