The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and 500 other people in his entourage, including some government officials, landed their private aircraft at Bulembu Airport in Bisho last week.
Recent reports claim that the government in the Eastern Cape is considering leasing the Bisho airport to the President and the Royal Family.
The UAE President recently invested USD$1 million to gain access to his private game reserve, for a quiet holiday at Ramadan.
Oscar Mabuyane, the Premier of the Eastern Cape, applied to the Department of Home Affairs to approve Bulembu Airport as a port of entry for the UAE visitors. The Bisho airport is being considered an opportunity to create revenue and jobs for a province that has extremely high unemployment rates. Furthermore the UAE is well known for investing in ports and airports globally.
The Eastern Cape government is working to improve trade relations with the UAE in terms of education, agriculture, renewable energy, oil and gas, research and innovation and new partnerships in the aviation industry.
This development follows a visit from the UAE premier in March, where collaboration in trade and investment opportunities, renewable and green energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, agro-processing and industrialisation were discussed.
