About Ohana Development

Ohana Development is a luxury residential developer active in the UAE and Lebanon. Its portfolio focuses on waterfront communities and branded residences. The company's February 2026 project release names Husein Salem as CEO and Mustafa El Sammak as COO.

Manchester City Yas Residences

Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana launched on 16 February 2026 as an AED 15 billion waterfront community on Yas Canal — the project GRAF sells on this page. The 1.67 million sq m project includes a mix of residential formats and is described by Ohana as Manchester City F.C.'s first branded residential project globally. See our luxury developers guide for how branded residences like this compare across the region.

On 16 March 2026, Ohana Development reported AED 6 billion of sales within 72 hours and called it a new Abu Dhabi sales record. This is the company's attributed launch milestone.

Other UAE projects

Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living by Ohana launched in Al Jurf at an announced value of AED 4.7 billion, with Q2 2028 as the company's target. ELIE SAAB Waterfront by Ohana is a 174-residence project on Al Reem Island with a Q2 2027 target.

At Ohana by the Sea in Al Jurf, ME Construction News reported the start of delivery for the 75-villa community in January 2026. This is a project-level milestone rather than a company-wide delivery total.

International portfolio

Ohana's official project list also includes Ohana Villas with interiors by ELIE SAAB Maison and Ohana Hills in Lebanon, alongside its UAE waterfront portfolio.

Branded waterfront residences across Yas Canal, Al Jurf and Al Reem Island

Ultra-luxuryBrandedWaterfrontAbu dhabiResidential

Who owns Ohana Development?

Ohana Development is privately held. Its own About page calls the company a leading private developer in the Middle East, and its company profile records the founding year as 2006, the type as privately held and the head office as Al Hisn in Abu Dhabi. No shareholder register, audited accounts or exchange filing is published, so the legal ownership is not publicly confirmed. Husein Salem is Chief Executive Officer and Mustafa El Sammak is Chief Operating Officer. Entrepreneur Middle East reported in December 2024 that Salem took over his family's real estate business, established in 1980, and restructured it into Ohana Development. Abu Dhabi project data names the registered developer as Ohana Real Estate Development And Construction L.L.C.

Source: Ohana Development — About Us, read 20 August 2026 · Ohana Development — company profile on LinkedIn, read 20 August 2026 · Entrepreneur Middle East — The 100: Husein Salem, CEO, Ohana Development, 20 December 2024 · ADX Interact — Ohana Real Estate Development And Construction L.L.C., Abu Dhabi projects

Track record

Buildings that made the name

  1. 01 Ohana Villas by ELIE SAAB Maison Launched on 30 June 2023 at Medyar in Lebanon, overlooking the Damour seaside and 15 minutes from central Beirut. Interiors are by ELIE SAAB Maison. Launched 2023
  2. 02 Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living by Ohana Announced on 17 December 2024 at AED 4.7bn in Al Jurf. MEED reported on 13 April 2026 that the scheme holds 457 units, that Nova International General Contracting is main contractor and that completion is expected in 2028. Under construction, due 2028
  3. 03 ELIE SAAB Waterfront by Ohana Construction began on 6 March 2025 on Al Reem Island. 174 units run from apartments to a dual-level penthouse, with completion set for Q2 2027. Under construction, due 2027
  4. 04 Ohana by the Sea Handover of the 75 villas at Al Jurf began in January 2026, with the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre at the site. Plots run from 340 to 1,000 sq m and the project value is stated as USD 190.6m. Handover began 2026
  5. 05 Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana Launched on 16 February 2026 on Yas Canal at AED 15bn across 1.67 million sq m. Aletihad reported over 2,000 units, an integrated Manchester City academy and completion in 2029. Under construction, due 2029

Ohana track record

Projects where handover has begun
One
Ohana by the Sea, 75 villas at Al Jurf, from January 2026
Projects under construction
Three
ELIE SAAB Waterfront, Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living, Manchester City Yas Residences
Completion targets for those three
Q2 2027 · 2028 · 2029
Developer releases for the first, MEED of 13 April 2026 for the second, Aletihad of 17 February 2026 for the third
Lebanon projects listed
Three
Ohana Villas by ELIE SAAB Maison, Ohana Hills and Escape Villas, on the official projects page
Assets, company statement
over USD 8bn
Ohana Development, About Us, read 20 August 2026

One project has begun handover and three are under construction. The two counts are reported separately and are not added together.Dirham values are launch announcements by the developer, not audited figures.

What Ohana is known for

Ohana by the Sea, Al Jurf
75 villas, handover from January 2026
ELIE SAAB Waterfront, Al Reem Island
174 units, due Q2 2027
Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living, Al Jurf
457 units, AED 4.7bn, due 2028
Manchester City Yas Residences, Yas Canal
1.67m sq m, AED 15bn, due 2029
Launch sales reported by the developer
AED 6bn in 72 hours, March 2026
Main contractor at Al Jurf
Nova International General Contracting, April 2026

The AED 6 billion figure is Ohana Development's own report of the first 72 hours of sales at Manchester City Yas Residences.Gulf News carried the same text on 17 March 2026 marked as content published in association with the developer. No independent audit of the number has been published.

The strong response to Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana, and the sales record in just 72 hours, reflects the continued trust from investors locally and internationally, as well as the appeal of the project's unique offering in the emirate.
Husein Salem Chief Executive Officer, Ohana Development Ohana Development, 16 March 2026

Where Ohana builds

Yas Canal, Abu DhabiVillasHandover 2027

Current projects via GRAF

Manchester City Yas Residences — Yas Canal, Abu Dhabi

Manchester City Yas Residences

Yas Canal, Abu Dhabi

From AED 2M

View project →

How Ohana differs from other Dubai developers

Ohana Development builds in Abu Dhabi and in Lebanon and lists no Dubai project. The portfolio is small, every current UAE scheme carries a partner brand, and the first handovers began in January 2026.

All four UAE projects are in Abu Dhabi
Yas Canal, Al Reem Island and Al Jurf. The other three projects are in Lebanon, at Medyar and in the hills above Beirut.
Every current UAE project is branded
Manchester City F.C., Jacob & Co. and ELIE SAAB. Ohana Development is the developer in each case; the partner licenses the name and shapes the design.
One handover started, three more in build
Handover began at Ohana by the Sea in January 2026. ELIE SAAB Waterfront, Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living and Manchester City Yas Residences are under construction, due between 2027 and 2029.
Villas outnumber towers
Three of the four Abu Dhabi projects are villa or beachfront communities. ELIE SAAB Waterfront is the single apartment building.
Two projects sit at Al Jurf, halfway to Dubai
Al Jurf lies on the coast between the two cities. Ohana by the Sea and Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living are both there.
Reports through its own releases, not filings
As a private company, Ohana Development publishes no audited accounts or exchange filing. Figures such as its USD 8bn asset statement and its 72-hour AED 6bn sales report come from its own dated releases.
Why GRAF recommends Ohana

GRAF sells Manchester City Yas Residences — Ohana Development suits a buyer who wants an Abu Dhabi waterfront address with the Manchester City F.C. brand attached, from a developer whose first handovers began in January 2026 rather than a fifteen-year delivery record.

What the record shows
  1. The developer already has a handover on recordDelivery of the 75 villas at Ohana by the Sea in Al Jurf began in January 2026. ME Construction News reported the site visit by the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre — evidence the company has taken a project from launch through to handover.
  2. Manchester City Yas Residences is dated and itemisedLaunched 16 February 2026 at AED 15 billion across 1.67 million sq m, with more than 2,000 units in six clusters and completion stated for 2029.
  3. The brand partner confirms the project itselfManchester City and Ohana Development announced Manchester City Yas Residences in a joint statement in January 2026, reported by The National on 27 January.

GRAF editorial team

Ohana — frequently asked questions

Who owns Ohana Development?

The company is privately held and publishes no shareholder register, audited accounts or exchange filing, so its legal ownership is not publicly confirmed. Husein Salem is Chief Executive Officer. Entrepreneur Middle East reported in December 2024 that he took over his family's real estate business, established in 1980, and restructured it into Ohana Development.

Source: Entrepreneur Middle East — The 100: Husein Salem, CEO, Ohana Development, 20 December 2024

When was Ohana Development founded and where is it based?

The company profile gives the founding year as 2006 and the head office as Al Hisn, Abu Dhabi. The official site lists an Abu Dhabi office in Landmark Tower on Al Hisn Street and a Beirut office at St. Charles City Center. The company states more than 35 years of expertise across three continents.

Source: Ohana Development — About Us

Does Ohana Development build in Dubai?

No. The official projects page lists seven schemes: four in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and three in Lebanon. The two Al Jurf projects, Ohana by the Sea and Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living, sit on the coast between Abu Dhabi and Dubai but fall inside Abu Dhabi.

Source: Ohana Development — Projects

What has Ohana Development delivered?

Handover of the 75 villas at Ohana by the Sea in Al Jurf began in January 2026, with the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre visiting the site. Villas run from four to seven bedrooms on plots of 340 to 1,000 square metres. No cumulative company-wide delivery figure is published.

Source: ME Construction News — Ohana Development commences delivery of Ohana By The Sea, 22 January 2026

What is Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana?

A gated waterfront community on Yas Canal in Abu Dhabi, launched on 16 February 2026 at AED 15 billion across 1.67 million square metres. Aletihad reported over 2,000 units in six clusters, an average standalone villa price of AED 7 million, an integrated Manchester City academy and completion in 2029.

Source: Aletihad — Ohana Development launches Dh15 billion Manchester City Yas Residences in Abu Dhabi, 17 February 2026

Did Ohana Development really sell AED 6 billion in 72 hours?

That figure is the developer's own. Ohana Development stated on 16 March 2026 that Manchester City Yas Residences took AED 6 billion of sales within 72 hours and called it a new Abu Dhabi record, adding that 35 per cent of buyers were Emirati. Gulf News carried the same text as content published in association with the developer. No independent audit has been published.

Source: Ohana Development — AED 6 billion in 72 hours, 16 March 2026

Are ELIE SAAB and Jacob & Co. the developers of their projects?

No. Ohana Development is the developer of ELIE SAAB Waterfront on Al Reem Island and of Jacob & Co. Beachfront Living at Al Jurf. The partners license the name and shape the design. MEED names Ohana Development as the party that awarded the Al Jurf main contract to Nova International General Contracting in April 2026.

Source: MEED — Local contractor wins $1.3bn Al-Jurf beachfront project, 13 April 2026

What is Ohana Development building in Lebanon?

Three projects are listed: Ohana Villas by ELIE SAAB Maison at Medyar, launched on 30 June 2023 overlooking the Damour seaside and 15 minutes from central Beirut, plus Ohana Hills and Escape Villas. The company keeps an office at St. Charles City Center in Minet El-Hosn, Beirut.

Source: Ohana Development — Ohana Villas with interiors by ELIE SAAB Maison, 30 June 2023

Guides that cover this developer

Top Dubai Real Estate Developers in 2026: A Complete Guide
Developers 11 min read

Top Dubai Real Estate Developers in 2026: A Complete Guide

Emaar, Meraas, Aldar, Sobha and Dubai South Properties — the five developers with the most projects GRAF sells, what each one actually does differently, and the real prices and handover dates behind them.

Read
Luxury Developers in Dubai: Ultra-Premium Projects & Investment Returns
Luxury 9 min read

Luxury Developers in Dubai: Ultra-Premium Projects & Investment Returns

The five highest-priced residential projects GRAF sells — Palm Jebel Ali, Solaya, Sobha Elwood, The Oasis and The Edition — with the real entry price, the real payment plan and the real handover date on each.

Read
Dubai Off-Plan Investment Guide 2026: Areas, Payment Plans & ROI
Investment Guide 12 min read

Dubai Off-Plan Investment Guide 2026: Areas, Payment Plans & ROI

The five decisions that actually determine what an off-plan purchase in Dubai returns — payment structure, who funds the amenity, the handover date, district supply and the exit — each shown against a real project.

Read
Official sources
Official websiteOhana Development — official siteOhana Development — projectsOhana Development — newsOhana Development — LinkedInOhana Development — InstagramManchester City Yas Residences by Ohana — official project site
About this profile

Maintained by the GRAF editorial team from public sources and our own project data. Updated 20 August 2026. Contact us

Get the Brochure

We'll send it to your WhatsApp shortly.