Abu Dhabi directed Dhs15bn ($4.1bn) worth of government tenders to local businesses as the coronavirus pandemic weighs on the Gulf Arab emirate’s non-oil economy.
The “Abu Dhabi Local Content” programme includes 1,244 tenders, with the goal of “boosting productivity and strengthening supply chains,” the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a tweet on Wednesday.
Business conditions in the United Arab Emirates, a federation that includes Abu Dhabi, worsened at a record pace in March as the government took emergency steps to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
IHS Markit’s UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index, a gauge tracking operating conditions in the non-oil private sector, fell to the lowest ever in March.
The country has reported 2,359 cases of coronavirus and 12 deaths.
Its business hub Dubai has imposed a 24-hour restriction on the movement of people.