Meraque, Al Nabooda Chulia ink MoU to expand drone solutions across the Middle East and Africa 

• Foundation for UAV solutions utilising drone engineering and innovation
• Meraque to create 1k jobs globally, with US$21.5 mil economic impact

Meraque Services Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian drone tech company earlier last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Al Nabooda Chulia, a Dubai based facilities management services company to drive collaboration and active involvement in the expansion of Meraque’s services and solutions to the Middle East and Africa.

The new partners will be able to leverage each other's expertise and experience to lay a strong foundation for the adoption of industry-leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solutions across the Middle East and Africa, utilising drone engineering and innovation, in line with Meraque’s global expansion goals. 

The MoU exchange was held at the Malaysian Pavilion, Dubai Expo on 28 February 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates between Rahman Hussin, Chief Strategy Officer of Meraque and Nazmi Amri, General Manager of Al Nabooda Chulia.

Meraque aims to generate 1,000 job opportunities across the globe and aims to create an economic impact of US$21.5 million (RM90 million) over the next 3 years through export revenues, solidifying their commitment to support Malaysia’s ambitions to become a major player in the global drone industry as well as a potential drone hub in ASEAN. 

“We are elated to collaborate with Al Nabooda Chulia. Drones and their associated technologies have a multitude of compelling potential for numerous industries, proving to be a game-changer in industry transformation, thanks to their unparalleled benefits. This makes it an opportunity-filled market that remains untapped,” said Rahman.

He describes the collaboration as a pivotal step forward as Meraque embarks on its expansion plans. “Al Nabooda Chulia’s comprehensive knowledge and understanding of facilities management and the drone technology landscape in the Middle East and Africa definitely give us a prime advantage here.” Rahman acknowledged the key role played by Invest Johor and Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) for their continuous support in helping Meraque realise this collaboration.

“Congratulations Meraque and Al Nabooda Chulia. Iskandar Investment Bhd is proud to support this collaboration. The possibilities that drone technology offer today are endlessly exciting. The global market for drone technology has been witnessing astonishing growth. This MoU is validation that Malaysian startups are poised to expand to global markets, given a little bolstering through market access opportunities,” said Ir. Khairil Anwar Ahmad, President and Chief Executive Officer of IIB.

Meraque has already begun training and skilling programmes, working closely with the Malaysian federal and state governments to mould and equip 500 youth with the necessary skills sets to become industry ready by 2023, preparing them for job opportunities across the globe in the drone industry. 

Meraque was named the 19th best drone technology service provider in the world last year by Drone Industry Insights, a Market Research consultant based in Germany. The drone industry has captured a steadily rising audience with the global drone market forecasted to achieve US$41.3 billion (RM172.7 billion) in 2026 according to the Drone Market Report 2021-2026.