Privatization of the Utilities Sector of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract

This paper investigated the critical factors in the implementation of privatization using the qualitative method. The utilities sector of Abu Dhabi, with its long experience in privatization, served as the research context. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and their key insights were drawn out using the semi-structured interview. The findings showed that the unique experience of privatization in the utilities sector was largely inspired by the strong vision of the leader. This was backstopped by a number of factors that were critical to its implementation to generate, a mix of sector-level, community-level, and country-level benefits.

Keywords: privatization, utilities, single buyer, water-electricity nexus