01 | DP World May Participate in Nigeria’s $7 Billion Port and Industrial Zone Project

As of September 26, 2026, the cooperation remained at the memorandum-of-understanding stage. Businesses should treat it as an early signal for a major port and industrial-zone development, not as a finalized construction or financing contract.

Nigeria’s Ogun State has signed memoranda of understanding with the Middle East and Africa arm of Dubai-based port operator DP World for the proposed Gateway Deep Seaport and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone. According to the Nigerian Presidency, the two projects envisage more than $7 billion in initial investment and more than 50,000 direct jobs at full development. The announcement did not disclose how the investment would be divided, DP World’s contribution, or the final ownership, financing and operating structures.

The proposed deep seaport would have a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draught, with the aim of easing pressure on Lagos’s Apapa and Tin Can Island ports. The associated special economic zone would cover 10,000 hectares for manufacturing, processing, logistics and export-oriented industries. The federal government said it would support road, rail and power connections and require compliance with applicable regulations. Engineering, equipment and logistics companies should track the final agreements, procurement arrangements and infrastructure connections rather than infer near-term order volumes from the headline investment figure.

Source: IntelliNews, 2026-09-25

02 | Abu Dhabi Companies Plan 8-Exaflop AI Infrastructure in India

The plan is relevant because of how the sovereign computing infrastructure would be deployed: the system would be hosted in India, operate under Indian governance frameworks and keep data within Indian jurisdiction.

Abu Dhabi technology group G42 and AI chipmaker Cerebras plan to work with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing on a national-scale AI supercomputer with a peak capacity of 8 exaflops. The report compares this with the combined peak capacity of about 410 AI petaflops across India’s two main existing AI systems, making the proposed system approximately 19 times more powerful.

Access is planned for research institutions, startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, and government ministries. Server suppliers, data-centre contractors and AI service providers should watch the construction scope, data-residency rules, access model and implementation schedule instead of treating the announced computing capacity as an immediate procurement volume.

Source: News on AIR, 2026-02-20

05 | ACWA Power Starts Initial Operations at Two Saudi Power Plants

The plants have entered initial operation, but full capacity is expected only in the second quarter of 2027. Suppliers assessing operations and maintenance demand should distinguish the current output from the final installed capacity.

ACWA Power said the 1,934 MW Taiba 1 combined-cycle gas-turbine plant in Madinah initially has 1,272 MW of generating capacity, while the 1,896 MW Qassim 1 plant starts with 1,283 MW. The two plants have a combined planned capacity of approximately 3,800 MW. ACWA Power owns 40% of each project company, Sidra One Electricity and Qudra One Electricity.

The project consortium has signed 25-year power purchase agreements with the Saudi Power Procurement Company. For maintenance, spare-parts and efficiency-upgrade suppliers, the phased commissioning schedule through the second quarter of 2027 offers a more useful view of near-term demand than the total planned capacity alone.

Source: TradingView, 2026-09-24

06 | Saudi EV Brand Ceer Unveils Its First Models

Ceer’s first vehicles show that Saudi Arabia’s domestic automotive project is moving from brand and capacity planning into the product stage. Market adoption will still depend on charging access, price, quality assurance and after-sales service.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled the Exobot sedan and SUV on September 21. The Public Investment Fund established Ceer with Foxconn in 2022. The company says it plans to launch seven models over the next five years and manufacture them at its facility in the King Salman Automotive Cluster in King Abdullah Economic City, which is designed for annual capacity of up to 170,000 vehicles.

Arthur D. Little’s 2026 Global Electric Mobility Readiness Index ranks Saudi Arabia 30th out of 31 markets. The report says electric vehicles represented less than 2% of approximately 857,000 new vehicle registrations in Saudi Arabia in 2025. The country had about 1,200 charging points at the end of 2025, around 80% of which were AC chargers. Component, battery and manufacturing-equipment suppliers can monitor localization opportunities, but sales expectations should remain tied to charging-network expansion and actual vehicle deliveries.

Source: GDN Online

Other updates

  • 08 | Etihad Rail and AD Ports launch direct rail service: The service connects Fujairah Terminals with the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, carrying cargo approximately 200 kilometres by rail for customs clearance, inspection and release at ICAD, which now has its own UN location code, AECAD. (Source: Etihad Rail, 2026-09-24)
  • 10 | Technip Energies and SABIC sign strategic licensing agreement: Technip Energies will become the worldwide licensor of SABIC’s Low-Density Polyethylene Clean Tubular Reactor technology, combining technology licensing with the companies’ engineering experience. (Source: SABIC, 2026-09-25)
  • 11 | OPEC stresses the importance of cooperation with China for market stability: OPEC’s Secretary General said the partnership supports coordination on oil-market developments, future demand and energy investment; the eighth High-Level Meeting of the OPEC-China Energy Dialogue was held in Beijing. (Source: OPEC Secretariat, 2026-09-24)
  • 12 | Saudi Arabia implements new standards linking AI training with labour-market needs: The Saudi Data and AI Authority and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation are applying a framework that aligns course content with employment needs, professional requirements, national regulations and AI ethics. (Source: Saudi Data and AI Authority, 2026-09-25)
  • 14 | Saudi Ministry of Commerce conducts 383,000 inspections and handles 443,000 consumer reports in the first nine months: The ministry also launched 58 recall campaigns covering 222,410 vehicles and 8,508 other products, while expanding the use of AI in regulatory enforcement. (Source: Saudi Ministry of Commerce, 2026-09-25)
  • 15 | TKMS and EDGE sign an MoU on underwater surveillance capabilities: The companies will assess opportunities for an integrated multi-system approach to underwater security under a wider German-UAE initiative to strengthen defence and security cooperation. (Source: EDGE Group, 2026-09-25)
  • 18 | DMCC’s British business community grows 7.7% to more than 2,250 companies: British companies now represent approximately 8.5% of DMCC’s community of more than 26,000 member companies. (Source: DMCC, 2026-09-25)
  • 20 | Sahm launches access to Saudi and US equities for UAE investors: Sahm Financial, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority and registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre, now offers access to the Saudi and US equity markets through its app. (Source: Sahm Financial)
  • 21 | Red Sea Global creates a yachting network across AMAALA and Shura: From winter 2026, private and charter yachts will be able to use a single berthing contract across the AMAALA-Shura corridor, initially covering 278 berths at two marinas. (Source: Red Sea Global, 2026-09-25)
  • 22 | UAE launches a yachting alliance to encourage longer international yacht stays: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah have signed an MoU to develop joint inter-emirate routes, itineraries and industry promotion. (Source: UAE Yachting Alliance, 2026-09-25)
  • 23 | Abu Dhabi opens a reporting channel for adverse reactions to peptide products: The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has introduced an online form to collect information on health problems, adverse reactions and product sources involving peptides used for weight loss, anti-ageing and muscle building. (Source: Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2026-09-25)
  • 24 | e& UAE launches secure website hosting: Hosted in e& UAE’s local data centres, the service provides round-the-clock monitoring by its Network Operations Centre and Security Operations Centre for government and business websites. (Source: e& UAE, 2026-09-25)
  • 25 | SF Airlines adds a Singapore route as it expands its first overseas hub: The new Shanghai-Singapore freighter service uses a Boeing 767, while Changi Airport serves as the airline’s first overseas hub. (Source: SF Airlines, 2026-09-25)
  • 26 | Water-saving, scalable greenhouse systems presented in Saudi Arabia: Jordan Greenhouses showcased systems at the Saudi Agriculture Exhibition 2026 that can expand from basic configurations to automated facilities, with a focus on water efficiency and protected cultivation. (Source: HortiDaily, 2026-09-24)
  • 27 | Al-Futtaim and Juspay partner on unified digital payments: Juspay will provide a common payment orchestration layer across Al-Futtaim’s brands and markets, with the first brand scheduled to go live in September 2026. (Source: Al-Futtaim, 2026-09-25)
  • 28 | UAE presents progress in AI and genomics applications in healthcare: The Ministry of Health and Prevention outlined developments in AI, genomics, precision medicine and coordination among health authorities at the Healthcare Leaders Summit in Abu Dhabi. (Source: UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention)
  • 29 | Volkswagen recalls more than 3 million vehicles worldwide over steering risk: Germany’s transport authority said corrosion could cause a bolt to fracture and lead to steering failure; affected vehicles include selected Volkswagen, Audi and other group models, with no related incidents reported. (Source: Volkswagen Group, 2026-09-25)
  • 30 | SEHA opens two visa-screening centres in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain: The centres at Mazyad Mall in Abu Dhabi and Al Noud in Al Ain provide disease prevention, screening and visa medical services. (Source: SEHA Clinics, 2026-09-23)

Last updated: September 2026. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice.