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Logistics and transport play a strategic role for the Middle East Frank Straube, ADU-TUB. (REUTERS)
Establishment of a neutral logistics association for the GCC region will help towards serving and integrating all current and future stakeholders to create a holistic logistics strategy, a senior industry official said.
Speaking during the recently concluded Global Logistics Forum, Professor Ing. Frank Straube, Co-operation Managing Director, Abu Dhabi University-Berlin Institute of Technology (ADU-TUB) said viewing the Middle East with a good understanding of the global trends and the awareness of regional capabilities are crucial if the region were to realise its potential of becoming a logistics hub.
"In the light of increasing global trade and transport flows, logistics and transport play a strategic role for the Middle East," said Straube.
"However, the development of a holistic logistics strategy for the region and to carefully execute it – together with policy makers, business organisations, and researchers – is essential in order for the development of the region into a global logistics hub."
"One simple step in that direction, also emphasised by the panel of distinguished international speakers at GLF, may be the establishment of a neutral logistics association for the GCC region, serving and integrating all current and future stakeholders in this regard," Straube added.
Industry experts at the forum indicated the need for co-operation and collaboration amongst countries in order for logistics and transport infrastructures and services to be fully integrated. An example given in this regard was the establishment of a railway network in countries like the UAE, Qatar or KSA, which is meant to address an increasing regional logistics services demand from the retail and industry sectors.
"These infrastructure developments are currently undergoing critical planning and design phases and may run the risk of having a non-integrated multimodal transport system if the countries in this region do not collaborate," Straube explained.
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