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29 March 2024

Khalifa among 100 most powerful people

Sheikh Khalifa (FILE)

Published

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been ranked by a prominent US magazine as among the 100 most powerful people in the world for his achievements in the UAE. US President Barack Obama topped the list.

Sheikh Khalifa was ranked 53th most influential person in the 100-people list published by ‘Forbes’ magazine for 2011, moving ahead of his 56th rank in 2010.

The magazine noted that Sheikh Khalifa has made substantial achievements in the UAE since he became president seven years ago, adding that the UAE controls nearly 97.8 billion barrels of oil, among the largest crude reserves in the world.

The magazine also referred to the creation of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, now one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, with the aim of tapping surplus oil revenue and ensuring sufficient funds for future generations.In a recent article, Forbes described his highness as “a man of difficult situations”.

It focused on the successful and continuous economic and cultural developments that Shaikh Khalifa has achieved and highlighted a number of key situations experienced by his highness.

Public comments sent to ‘Forbes’ expressed admiration for Sheikh Khalifa and his dedication to the development of the UAE, the second largest Arab economy. “I wish I can see him one day but it is a dream to learn from him and talk to him…he is a great man,” said one comment by Raghda Fahim.

Another comment sent to ‘Forbes’ by Ibn Latheef said: ”His kindness and love for his citizens makes him great. Others should follow him.”

On top of the list was Obama, followed by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Microsoft owner Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, 87, was ranked 6th ahead of Pope Benedict XVI while Ben Bernanke, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, was ranked 8th.Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and British Prime Minister David Cameroon occupied the 9th and 10 places respectively.

Also from the Middle East, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khameni was ranked 26th while Saudi oil minister Ali al Naimi came 31st given his country’s position as the world’s largest oil exporter, which controls over a fifth of the global crude wealth.

The world's most powerful people