Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and a multinational consortium led by Plenary Group and BESIX Group, has inaugurated three state-of-the-art schools in Abu Dhabi’s Zayed City.
The project marks the first time that school infrastructure has been developed and delivered in the UAE under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Completed on schedule and within budget, the project has significantly enhanced Abu Dhabi’s educational landscape by adding capacity for 5,360 students from kindergarten to Grade 12 for the 2024-2025 academic year and beyond.
ADEK was instrumental to the project’s successful realisation and played a pivotal role in ensuring that the project met the highest standards of design, and material and equipment selection. Through the active coordination of various entities, the project was delivered successfully.
As the first educational facilities delivered through ADIO’s PPP procurement framework, the Zayed City Schools project aims to elevate the standard of education infrastructure in the emirate and serve as a model for increased private sector participation in the delivery and financing of public infrastructure across Abu Dhabi.
The three new schools located in Abu Dhabi’s Zayed City span a combined area of 81,000 square metres. Designed to meet rigorous Estidama sustainability standards, the schools feature advanced technologies alongside learning spaces engineered to inspire creativity, marking a new benchmark for educational facilities in the Middle East.
The successful completion of the Zayed City Schools underscores ADIO’s commitment to expanding its PPP programme and serves as a testament to Abu Dhabi’s innovative approach to infrastructure development. This initiative aims to increase private sector participation and foreign direct investment, enhance accountability and efficiency in public asset management, develop long-term collaborations between government and private entities, and provide investors with access to lucrative concessions.
BESIX and Plenary are the key private sector partners in the Zayed City Schools PPP Project Consortium. Plenary is an independent long-term investor, developer, and manager of public infrastructure, with over US$56 billion in assets across North America, Australia, the Middle East, and the UK. BESIX, a leading Belgian group operating in the Middle East since 1966, designs and builds complex projects globally and acts as an industrial equity provider and leader in public-private partnerships, managing the operation and maintenance of diverse projects, including social infrastructure and environmental initiatives.
Building on this success, ADIO is advancing other significant PPP opportunities, including the development of world-class student accommodation facilities in partnership with the globally top-ranked Khalifa University of Science and Technology.
