SimplyAbuDhabi XLI

Sheikh Khalifa followed in the footsteps of his father and continued the implementation of major development projects in the Eastern Province, especially those designed to improve agriculture. His notable success in Al Ain was the beginning of a long career in public service that saw Sheikh Khalifa assume his leadership role with ease and skill, marking major accomplishments and achievements. During the following years, Sheikh Khalifa held a number of major posts. He became the main executive leader of his late father’s Government, overseeing, both on the local and federal levels, the implementation of all major projects. On 1 February 1969, Sheikh Khalifa was nominated as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. And, on the next day, he was appointed as the Head of the Department of Defence in Abu Dhabi, eventually overseeing the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force (ADDF), which later became the nucleus of the UAE Armed Forces. Two years later, as part of the restructuring of the government of the emirate, he was appointed as the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Minister of Defence and Finance, and in 1973, he assumed the post of Deputy Prime Minister in the second Cabinet. Shortly afterwards, on 20 January 1974, he was appointed as the first Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, which replaced the emirate’s local cabinet. Under the direction of Sheikh Khalifa, the Executive Council oversaw the realisation of extensive development programmes in Abu Dhabi, including the construction of housing, water supply system, roads and general infrastructure that led to the emergence of the city of Abu Dhabi into the modern city that it is today. Sheikh Khalifa was also in charge of establishing Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in 1976. To this day, this authority manages the financial investments of the emirate to ensure a stable source of income for generations to come. 96 | Simply Abu Dhabi