Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, passes away

DUBAI, 24th March, 2021 (WAM) — The Dubai Ruler’s Court has mourned the death of  Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who passed away this morning.

The Court said that in view of the current exceptional circumstances and due to the precautionary measures in place, funeral prayer for the deceased will be limited to family members only. It added that absentee funeral prayers will be held today after the Maghrib prayer in mosques across the country.

A ten-day mourning has been declared in Dubai and flags will be flown at half mast during this period. Work will be suspended in government departments and institutions in the emirate for three days, starting from tomorrow, Thursday.

Sheikh Hamdan was born on December 25, 1945 and was the second son of the late ruler Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Hamdan’s formal schooling began in Dubai. He did his early schooling at the Al-Ahlia school in Dubai and completed his further studies at the Bell School of Languages in Cambridge.

Sheikh Hamdan became the UAE’s first minister of Finance and Industry in 1971, a position he occupied until his death. He played an indispensable role in developing the country’s financial policies and government ‎spending.

Sheikh Hamdan presided over Dubai Municipality as chairman, and the Information and Health Departments, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL) and Dubai Natural Gas Company Limited (DUGAS) among others.

He was the president of the governing board of the Dubai Ports Authority and was also the UAE’s chief representative at the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund and to the Arab states.

On January 4, 1995, Sheikh Hamdan was appointed as the Deputy Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan also funded many scholarships for students from around the world at Al Maktoum Institute.