Shaikhani Group, a Dubai-based real estate developer, is eyeing investors from Pakistan as more and more Pakistani investors buy property in the UAE.
The developer exhibited its properties in Abad-Jang Expo, a real estate exhibition held in Islamabad from Friday to Sunday last week.
The expo is the largest real estate show in Pakistan, with a visitor footfall of 30,000. The show attracts property developers, builders, town planners, contractors, interior designers and allied industries from the Middle East, including the UAE.
Mahmood Abu Baker Shaikhani, managing director of Shaikhani Group, said: “Dubai is a favorite destination for Pakistanis due to the city’s position as one of the most secure cities in the world, high standards of living, high yields on property investments and historic relations between the UAE and Pakistan. In this scenario, we see a high potential in Pakistani home buyers.”
Gardenia Residency at Jumeirah Village Circle has studios, in addition to one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Gardenia Residency aims to make a definitive statement of luxury coupled with Mediterranean allure. It is immaculately designed and features a lifestyle boutique, private terraces, gardens, landscaped parks, secure car parking, retail area and restaurants.
Gardenia Residency comes with an attractive 50:50 payment plan that allows property buyers to pay up to Dh399,500 ($108,769) or 50 percent in instalments till project handover with the balance payable after the handover.
“Gardenia project is the most suitable choice for end-users and small families to shift from rented homes to their own freehold homes without putting much strain on their finance — which is a major issue with fixed-income small families,” Shaikhani said.
Shaikhani Group is developing 11 projects that will deliver 2,100 residential and commercial units in Dubai Sports City, Jumeirah Village Circle and Dubai Silicon Oasis.
In February this year, Shaikhani Group announced the delivery of 135 residential units housed in Champion Tower 1 where residents are expected to move in over the coming weeks, the statement said.
Jumeirah Village Circle, located in the heart of new Dubai, is surrounded by Mohammad bin Zayed Road, Al Khail Road and Al Barsha Road. It is close to the new Al Maktoum International Airport and the Expo 2020 site, and connects well to all the neighborhoods due to the strong road networks surrounding it.
Shaikhani Group showcases ‘Gardenia Residency’ at realty show in Pakistan
Shaikhani Group showcases ‘Gardenia Residency’ at realty show in Pakistan
Kuwait Fund for Development: Six decades of humanitarian and developmental impact across globe
On Dec. 31, the Kuwait Fund for Development marks the anniversary of its establishment, opening a new chapter of success and ambition as one of the most prominent pioneers of development on both regional and global levels. Founded in 1961, the fund became the first and oldest development institution to operate in Arab countries and other developing nations.
Today, after more than six decades of continuous work, the Kuwait Fund for Development remains steadfast in its mission and has never ceased its efforts to support development causes in developing countries. As it celebrates its 64th anniversary, the fund has drawn a national portrait under the theme “Partners in Development,” reflected through its projects spread across the globe, all of which aim to build brighter and more sustainable future.
An external development arm
The establishment of the Kuwait Fund for Development embodied a wise and visionary decision by the leadership of Kuwait at the time. Kuwait was the only developing country that chose to share the challenges of development with other developing nations, cooperating with them through the provision of concessional loans, grants, financial assistance, and technical support tailored to their development priorities.
Since its inception, the Kuwait Fund for Development has served as Kuwait’s external development arm, sparing no effort in supporting development causes and extending assistance to developing countries worldwide.
Vision and early beginnings
In the early 1960s, the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, then head of the financial department, proposed the idea of establishing a development entity that would serve Kuwait’s foreign policy and assist Arab and other developing countries in achieving development across various sectors. The idea received strong support from the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, as it aligned with Kuwait’s vision at the time to build a modern state.
Consequently, an Amiri decree was issued on Dec. 31, 1961, establishing the Kuwait Fund for Development with an initial capital of 50 million Kuwaiti dinars ($162.6 million).
Global reach and development impact
The fund’s activities have extended to all corners of the world, contributing to the financing of projects in 106 countries, including 16 Arab countries, 41 African countries, 19 in East and South Asia and the Pacific, 17 in Central Asia and Europe, and 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This support was delivered through 1,037 concessional loans provided to the governments of these countries, with a total value of approximately 7 billion Kuwaiti dinars. In addition, the fund has provided grants and technical assistance to support a wide range of development services, helping beneficiary countries implement their development programs. A total of 420 grants and technical assistance operations were extended, amounting to approximately 401 million Kuwaiti dinars.
Loan agreements
During the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development signed several loan agreements supporting development across different regions of the world. Among these were two loan agreements with the government of Bahrain. The first loan, valued at 31.25 million Kuwaiti dinars, contributed to financing the Electricity Transmission Networks Development Project. The second loan, valued at 10 million Kuwaiti dinars, supported the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Highway Development Project (Phase II).
On the sidelines of the World Bank Group meetings held in Washington, D.C., the fund has also signed a 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Saint Lucia to help finance the Sir Julian R. Hunte Highway Project, as well as another 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Belize to support the George Price Highway Project.
Supporting and assisting refugees
The Kuwait Fund for Development’s contributions to humanitarian action stand out at both regional and international levels. Since its establishment, the fund has represented a unique model in supporting and assisting refugees in countries affected by disasters, conflicts, and wars, in line with Kuwait’s moderate and balanced policy.
These efforts have helped strengthen Kuwait’s relations with Arab and international partners. The fund has played a significant role in the reconstruction of Lebanon and Iraq following periods of crisis, and its assistance to the Palestinian people has never ceased.
International Participation
Over the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development recorded notable participations in major international forums. These included taking part in the 2025 annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., with a delegation headed by the fund’s Acting Director General Walid Shamlan Al-Bahar. The fund also took part in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held in Tokyo, Japan.
Additional international engagements included participation in the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, organized by the UN in Seville, Spain.
