Market Trends of MEA Facility Management Industry
The Outsourced Facility Management Segment is Driving the Market's Growth
- The Middle East and Africa outsourced facility management segment is still in the growth stage compared to more established and mature markets. The increasing emphasis on adopting green buildings across sectors, such as retail and real estate, is expected to stimulate the growth of outsourced facility management in the region. For instance, EchoStone announced plans to build 182,000 affordable, certified green buildings in Lagos, Nigeria, by 2023.
- The growing use of facility management in commercial buildings and industrial projects is driving the growth of outsourced facility management, including soft services. One of the major factors driving the facility management market in the Middle East is growing construction activity. For instance, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in constructing railways, roads, ports, and airports. Thus, outsourced facility management services are anticipated to bring new opportunities to the market for large-scale projects.
- Outsourced Facility management services across the region are growing owing to several megaprojects currently being undertaken. KSA is working on most development projects in the country's commercial sector. With continuing investment and technological enhancements, Saudi Arabia invests in diverse projects. Saudi plans to invest approximately USD 1 trillion in its non-hydrocarbon industry by 2035. Some key projects include Qiddiya Entertainment City, King Abdullah Financial District, Neom, the Red Sea Project, and Amaala.
- Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 is a long-term economic development plan. Qatar invests heavily in infrastructure programs focused on its non-oil and gas sectors. The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) functions as the primary regulator of the transportation sector, overseeing the work of individual transport operators and project owners, and creates an opportunity for the vendors' outsourced facility management services.
- Additionally, in collaboration with its government and private sector, Qatar is working on central rail and expressway projects, the recent opening of the new commercial seaport and significant capacity upgrades at Hamad International Airport (HIA), logistics flows, and multimodal transportation networks are being developed at a remarkable pace. To support these construction projects, facility management services are expected to be outsourced. This will drive new growth opportunities in the facility management market.
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The Commercial Segment is Expected to Dominate the Market
- As regional companies recover from the pandemic and instruct employees to return to the office, the vacancy rate will decline in commercial spaces. The demand for soft facility management services in the region has witnessed a significant spike, focusing on cleaning services to disinfect office spaces and maintain hygiene protocols.
- The inflow of investments from foreign companies in different sectors has positively attributed to the growing need for offices boosting the commercial real estate sector. Furthermore, the demand for the commercial real estate sector in the region translates to a higher requirement for facility management services for maintenance and cleaning, among others.
- Moreover, the increase in office buildings also demands facilities management. For instance, Reem Mall in Abu Dhabi marks one of the megaprojects to boost the commercial retail sector by facilitating more than 450 stores for retail, a hypermarket, a multiplex cinema, and two food courts, supporting commercial food outlets. Several such projects are under construction in the GCC and Northern African countries.
- Kuwait is a fast-emerging IT hub in Middle East and Africa. With its 2035 Vision, Kuwait is poised to become the area's financial and commercial center. The rapid development of IT hubs in Kuwait directly influences the country's demand for facility management services.
- Cairo remains the primary activity center in developing Egypt's commercial real estate sector. The lifting of lockdown restrictions has increased the mobility of people and organizations, allowing them to re-convene work from the office, which is also set to increase the occupancy rate in the country. Furthermore, the entry of several foreign organizations into the Greater Cairo region has boosted the demand for office space. It is expected to have a strong positive impact on facility management services.
- The retail sector in the GCC has faced unprecedented levels of demand in the recent past, where developers and retailers have benefited from strong economic growth and surging footfall numbers. The demand in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai is likely to remain strong. Rental rates are anticipated to increase, with a moderate rate of rental growth in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
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