Economic growth in the UAE is expected to accelerate to 3.5% in 2019, helped by strong non-oil activity, the central bank said in its quarterly report. The economy grew 2.8% in 2018, the report said, helped by a rise in oil production and growth in the non-oil sector, recovering from just 0.8% growth in 2017 when oil prices slumped. The Abu Dhabi government has announced a USD13.6bn economic stimulus package as well as several economic initiatives to ease the cost of doing business. The Dubai government has also taken measures to cut costs for key industries including aviation, real estate, and education. The non-oil sector will grow 3.4% in 2019, up from an estimated 2.6% last year, according to the central bank. Oil sector growth is expected at 3.7% compared to 3.0% in 2018. The IMF said in February that it expects the UAE's economy to grow by 3.7% in 2019.