The Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone, popularly known as RAK FTZ, is looking ahead confidently to achieve record growth this year and moves into 2012 on strong positive note, its top official said.

The free trade zone recorded 28 per cent year-on-year growth in first three quarters of 2011 and registered 1,953 companies by December 20, exceeding the annual registration of 1,740 in 2010.

“Our outlook for RAK FTZ in 2012 remains positive. We will continue our programmes to achieve our goals and most importantly to contribute to the GDP of Ras Al Khaimah,” Oussama El Omari, chief executive of RAK FTZ, told Khaleej Times in an interview.

RAK FTZ is one of the fastest-growing and most cost-effective free trade zones in the UAE. It focuses on small and medium sized enterprises in services, commercial, trading, information technology and consultancy.

El Omari said the free trade zone has registered 9,933 companies since its inception and more than 5,000 active firms are still operating in four different parks of the free zone. Excerpts from the interview:

What is RAK FTZ’s outlook for 2012?

Our outlook for RAK FTZ in 2012 remains positive. We will continue our programmes to achieve our goals and most importantly to contribute to the GDP of Ras Al Khaimah.

We are also focusing on researches and studies on how to better improve processes, sharing of best practices especially with other free zones around the globe. In 2012, we will also enhance our current focus in terms of our corporate social responsibility programmes.

As one of the leading organisations in Ras Al Khaimah, we firmly believe that we have a great responsibility to the community that goes beyond our economic contributions. One of these programmes that we would like to increase our focus on is our UAE National Empowerment Programme. This programme is aimed at attracting, recruiting and developing UAE nationals and giving them the opportunity to experience professional and nurturing work environment in RAK FTZ.