Online Reporter
Online Reporter
PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA on Tuesday met a delegation from Masdar Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy Company, led by chief executive officer Mr Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, on the sidelines of the ongoing World Governments Summit in the United Arab Emirates. The meeting signalled growing confidence in Zimbabwe.
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MASDAR is not just an energy company; it is a strategic flagship of the United Arab Emirates’ vision to diversify its economy and lead in the technologies of the future. Established in 2006 by the Abu Dhabi government, Masdar was founded to transform Abu Dhabi from a global hydrocarbons leader into a global powerhouse of renewable energy and sustainable urban development.
At the helm of this ambitious enterprise is chief executive officer Mr Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi. A veteran with the company since its early days, Al Ramahi’s leadership has been instrumental in guiding Masdar from a pioneering startup into one of the world’s fastest-growing and most respected renewable energy giants. Mr Al Ramahi, appointed CEO in 2016, embodies Masdar’s journey.
With a deep understanding of the company’s origins and a clear vision for its future, he has overseen Masdar’s aggressive international growth, moving its portfolio from a few flagship projects to a vast global footprint across more than 40 countries. It is also believed that under his guidance, Masdar has become a commercially savvy player, attracting major international investment and forming strategic joint ventures while maintaining its pioneering spirit.
Overall, Al Ramahi is a prominent global voice for clean energy, regularly representing Masdar and the UAE’s climate ambitions at international forums like COP.
Corporate structure and ownership
A pivotal moment in Masdar’s history came in 2022-2023 with a major strategic consolidation. Today, Masdar is a vertically integrated powerhouse owned by three of Abu Dhabi’s most influential entities:
- TAQA (Abu Dhabi National Energy Company): 43 percent
- ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company): 24 percent
- Mubadala Investment Company: 33 percent
This structure uniquely positions Masdar to leverage TAQA’s power grid expertise, ADNOC’s energy project management and hydrogen ambitions, and Mubadala’s global investment reach.
Notably, Mubadala is a state-owned global investment firm that acts as one of the sovereign wealth funds of the government of Abu Dhabi. As of the 2024 financial results reported in May 2025, the Mubadala Investment Company manages assets worth approximately US$326,7 billion
Core business pillars & global Impact
Under CEO Al Ramahi’s direction, Masdar operates across three interconnected pillars:
- Renewable energy power generation:
Masdar is a developer, investor and operator of utility-scale projects. Its portfolio spans:
Solar PV: A world leader, with projects like the Noor Abu Dhabi (1,2 GW) and the monumental Al Dhafra Solar PV (2+ GW) – one of the world’s largest single-site plants.
Wind: Major projects include the London Array (UK), the Dumat Al Jandal (Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest) and ventures in the US, Egypt and Central Asia.
Waste-to-energy & Geothermal: Diversifying into niche technologies to provide stable, clean power.
- Green hydrogen:
Masdar aims to be a leader in green hydrogen, a critical fuel for hard-to-abate industries. Key initiatives include strategic partnerships with ADNOC and international players to develop production hubs in the UAE (such as the Helios 1 GW project), Egypt and beyond.
- Sustainable urban development & innovation:
While its energy arm has scaled globally, Masdar’s original Masdar City in Abu Dhabi remains a living lab for sustainable technology and urban planning. It hosts the Masdar Institute (part of Khalifa University), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) headquarters, and numerous cleantech startups.
Scale and ambition
As of 2024, under Al Ramahi’s leadership, Masdar’s operational and pipeline portfolio has surged. The company has
invested in or developed projects with a total combined capacity of over 20+ Gigawatts (GW).
It also has a stated goal to reach 100 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, alongside ambitions to produce millions of tonnes of green hydrogen annually.
Further, it has a global presence from the Pacific Islands to the United States, with a particularly strong footprint in emerging markets crucial for the energy transition.
So, Masdar is the embodiment of Abu Dhabi’s long-term strategic vision. It has successfully evolved from a visionary project into a commercially driven, globally diversified clean energy titan.
By combining the financial muscle and expertise of its state-owned shareholders with agile leadership, Masdar is not just participating in the energy transition — it is actively shaping it, positioning the UAE at the centre of the new global energy map.
So, in Masdar, Zimbabwe, whose ambition is to establish an empowered upper middle-income status within in the next four years, has a serious energy investor expected to power its vaulting ambitions.
