Arada Awards $545m Construction Contracts for Next Phase of Sharjah’s Aljada Megaproject
- Michael Ghobrial
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
UAE-headquartered developer Arada has awarded two major construction contracts totalling AED 2.04 billion ($545 million) for the next residential phase of its Aljada megaproject in Sharjah. The agreements will see the delivery of 2,210 new homes spread across 14 apartment blocks. This massive capital injection confirms Arada's aggressive delivery schedule and highlights the continuing surge in demand for premium, masterplanned communities within the Northern Emirates.
Project Overview
Aljada is currently one of the largest and most complex real estate developments in the UAE, designed to transform Sharjah's urban landscape.
Developer: Arada
Project location: Aljada megaproject, Sharjah, UAE
Combined contract value: AED 2.04 billion ($545 million)
Total residential units: 2,210 homes
Overall Aljada masterplan value: AED 35 billion ($9.5 billion)
Key precincts involved: East Boulevard, West Boulevard and southern community entrances
Target delivery: Second quarter of 2028
Delivery Partners and Key Stakeholders
To manage a concurrent build of this scale, Arada has split the work between two highly experienced regional and international tier-one contractors.
Arada: Master developer and client, led by Group CEO Ahmed Alkhoshaibi.
China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co.: A subsidiary of the global construction giant China Railway Group, awarded the contract to build ten of the fourteen blocks.
Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi and Sons: The Kuwait-headquartered contractor, recognised as one of the most established construction firms in the Middle East, appointed to construct the remaining four gateway buildings.
Construction and Technical Details
The new contracts cover substantial vertical construction across three distinct districts within the Aljada masterplan.
China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group will handle the bulk of the volume, constructing five 'Nesba' buildings located on the East Boulevard and five 'Safa' buildings situated on the West Boulevard. Meanwhile, Kharafi has been tasked with building 'The Gate' blocks 3 to 6. These are arranged as two twin-building clusters positioned at the main southern entry points of the East and West Boulevards, serving as architectural gateways into the community.
The residential mix caters to a broad demographic, offering units that range from one-bedroom apartments to spacious four-bedroom family residences. A key technical requirement mandated by Arada is the integration of smart home technologies across all 2,210 units as standard, aligning the new blocks with modern energy management and digital lifestyle expectations. The buildings are also being constructed in close proximity to major upcoming community anchors, meaning site logistics and infrastructure connections must be heavily coordinated with concurrent development zones.
Timeline
The scale of the Aljada masterplan requires tightly sequenced delivery phases to ensure residents move into finished neighbourhoods rather than active construction sites.
March 2026: Arada formally awards the two main construction contracts valued at $545 million.
Mid 2026 to Mid 2028: A 26-month active construction window for all 14 blocks.
Late 2026: Scheduled completion of Aljada's 400,000-square-foot landscaped sports park.
Q2 2028: Handover of all 2,210 residential units, deliberately timed to complete just ahead of the opening of the community's flagship retail destination, Madar Mall.
Strategic Importance
This half-billion-dollar contract award is a powerful indicator of Sharjah's evolving real estate dynamics. Historically viewed as a secondary market to Dubai, Sharjah is now securing massive institutional and private capital, driven by developers like Arada who are delivering integrated, lifestyle-led destinations.
By awarding these contracts to heavyweight international firms like China Railway Group and Kharafi, Arada is mitigating delivery risk. The developer is guaranteeing that the sheer volume of units required can be built simultaneously without compromising on quality. Furthermore, the strategic timing of these blocks ensures that a critical mass of residents will be moved in just as the commercial and retail anchors, such as Madar Mall and the Arada Central Business District, become operational. This creates immediate footfall and commercial viability for the district's retail tenants.
Writer's Opinion
The sheer scale of Arada's latest procurement exercise tells a very clear story about the UAE's construction sector in 2026. Developers are no longer drip-feeding contracts block by block. They are awarding massive, consolidated packages to international mega-contractors who have the balance sheets and supply chains to absorb the risk.
Seeing a Chinese state-backed subsidiary and a Kuwaiti legacy contractor share a $545 million pie in Sharjah proves that the Northern Emirates have firmly arrived on the radar of global tier-one builders. For Arada, this is a commercially savvy move. They have sold the dream of Aljada to buyers, and now they are buying the certainty of delivery. If China Tiesiju and Kharafi hit their 26-month targets, Arada will not just be delivering apartment blocks. They will be cementing their reputation as one of the most reliable master developers in the Gulf.
