Dubai: Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE), announced that more than 943,000 people have benefitted from Suqia's projects in Tanzania to date. Suqia's projects, which implement the grant from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent, aim to provide clean drinking water to over one million people in Tanzania and are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025.
According to Emirates News Agency, Al Tayer made the announcement while chairing the second Board of Trustees meeting of 2025. The meeting was attended by key figures, including Fahad Abdelrahman bin Sultan, Deputy Secretary General for Development and International Co-operation at Emirates Red Crescent and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Suqia; Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Development Affairs and International Organisations; Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA; Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA; and Mohammed Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Suqia UAE.
The meeting also highlighted the honouring of 12 winners from eight countries in the fourth cycle of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Suqia UAE oversees the award, which carries total prizes of US$1 million and comprises four main categories.
Al Tayer emphasized the Foundation's commitment to following the noble path established by the Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, extending a helping hand to those in need around the world. The aim is to create a sustainable, positive impact on the lives of millions by promoting innovative solutions to the global water crisis and implementing humanitarian initiatives that embody the values of giving and generosity, which are cornerstones of Emirati society.
The Board also reviewed Suqia's past achievements to encourage innovation in sustainable water solutions and to advance humanitarian and development projects to provide clean water to disadvantaged communities. Suqia UAE's projects have benefited approximately 15 million people in 37 countries, through the implementation of more than 1,000 sustainable water projects, since the Foundation's launch in 2015.
