Jafza acquires 5.260m sq meters land for logistics park in US

With total investment of around $600 million, Jafza aim to transform Orangeburg into a major logistical hub in the United States, which will create about 8,000 to 10,000 jobs for over the next decade, and attract private investment of around $1.2 billion.

Mrs. Salma Hareb, CEO Jafza and Economic Zones World said: 'Jafza's long-term strategy is to develop a global logistics platform, and Orangeburg is one more major step in that direction.'

'Our extensive experience in running economic zones at home and abroad and the transformation of communities we serve speaks volumes of the level of our expertise and vision,' Mrs. Salma Hareb added.

Chuck Heath, Managing Director, Jafza International said: 'What we want to do is to facilitate the increase of foreign investments and opportunities in South Carolina, specifically in Orangeburg. We are experts at developing and creating a new economy.'

Jafza's selection of Orangeburg County came after seven months of analysis of several sites in the Southeast.

'We equate South Carolina and Orangeburg with the conditions we had in Dubai when Jebel Ali was under development. The state has reliable power, sufficient labour and quality infrastructure. It's quite close to the model we developed in Dubai,' Mr. Heath said.

In the next few weeks a Jafza International team will visit South Carolina to meet public officials and key stakeholders to understand their goals and concerns during the initial planning phase.

The investment has been widely welcomed in the US, specifically in Orangeburg County, which has been focussing on building its image as a global logistics triangle.

US Congressman Jim Clyburn welcomed the Jafza's selection of Orangeburg saying it is welcome news 'on the heels of last week's report that Orangeburg County ranks tenth in the US for the poorest counties with populations over 65,000.'

Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson expressed his excitement about the project and said Orangeburg County is 'ready to move forward.'

'We are excited about the Global Logistics Triangle and for the people of the state of South Carolina and the people of Orangeburg County,' he said.

Jim Roquemore, the previous co-owner of the land said: '[the land] now belongs to Jafza. They will make the Santee community a better place to live as they will invest in this community and area. I really don't think we could have asked or picked one company in the world that has the vision, the financial resources, the experience and the connections with Fortune 500 companies. We could not have chosen better partners.'

Roquemore said his research has shown that improvement has followed Jafza in every community it has entered.

'The people I have dealt with in Jafza… have been honest and forthcoming. They are people with a lot of honesty and integrity,' he said.

The site is approximately 80 km west of Charleston, along I-95, the main North-South highway, in addition to a rail line owned and operated by CSX. It is also within a short drive of four regional airports.

The business park will serve four major ports of Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington and Norfolk.