Day: December 15, 2022

PARIS, The UAE participated in an international conference held on Tuesday in the French capital Paris in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; and Annalena Baerbock, German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as 70 countries and international organisations, in addition to the European Union.

The conference aimed to discuss mechanisms to mobilise relief and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine to help meet the Ukrainian people’s needs for water, energy, food, health, and transport during the winter.

Hend Mana Saeed Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the French Republic, affirmed during the conference that since the beginning of the crisis, the UAE has facilitated humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons by airlifting approximately 600 tonnes of basic food items. In addition, the UAE has sent medical supplies and 10 ambulances to Ukrainian authorities to help the Ukrainian people and refugees in neighboring countries such as Poland, Moldova, and Bulgaria.

The UAE Ambassado noted that the UAE has also provided assistance through the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, which has delivered hundreds of tonnes of relief and medical supplies and ambulances to Poland in coordination with international organisations such as the World Health Organisation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Food Programme to assist Ukrainian refugees.

She added: “His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, directed the provision of USD 100 million worth of additional humanitarian aid to Ukrainian civilians as part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the humanitarian impact of the crisis.”

She concluded her remarks by stating that the UAE continues to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees and displaced persons in Ukraine in reflection of its commitment to extending a helping hand to other countries to assist them in overcoming humanitarian crises.

Source: Emirates News Agency

London, Dubai has cemented its first place for a second consecutive year in the region, ranking 2nd globally in the Top City Destinations Index 2022 of Euromonitor.

The UK-based market research company in its latest rankings has uncovered the top city performers for economic and business activity, with thriving tourism infrastructure and performance that show great potential for investment and operation amid increased digitalisation, technological advancement and sustainability developments.

Paris accelerates to once again claim the title of the world’s top city in 2022, closely followed by Dubai, which retains its second position.

The top 10 rankings see the hegemony of European destinations, with only Dubai and New York challenging the status quo this year, according to Euromonitor.

The strong rebound of international tourism, which is projected to register 112 percent growth in 2022 in terms of inbound spending, has been one of the key factors behind the resilient recovery of global cities. Intra-regional travel, an easing of travel restrictions and value-driven tourism further boost their appeal. Preferences for domestic travel and short-haul flights are defining consumer behaviour when choosing where to holiday.

In 2022, 14 destinations from the Middle East and Africa feature in the Top 100 City Destinations Index, compared to 16 in 2021. The leaderboard remains unchanged year-on-year, with Dubai cementing its first place for a second consecutive year in the region, whilst ranking second in terms of overall Index performance.

Dubai has had a stellar 2022 following the revival of the MICE tourism segment post-pandemic and Expo 2020 Dubai.

The cities from the region perform best in terms of the Health and Safety, Economic and Business Performance and Tourism Performance pillars.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Dubai Future Foundation has announced LiveCrew, a French startup, as the winner of the Future of Luxury Retail challenge which attracted more than 250 startups from 30 countries. The first-of-its-kind initiative seeks to bring the brightest minds together to contribute to the advancement of the retail sector’s customer experience.

Launched in April, the Future of Luxury Retail programme is a collaboration between Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), a Dubai Future Foundation initiative, and luxury brand Richemont. The challenge provided an opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators to develop customized experiences in the luxury retail sector that meet the needs of customers and enhance brand engagement.

The startups’ solutions also aim to prompt brands to deploy the most advanced technologies to analyze data, study customer behavior and interaction, and enhance communication with customers through various digital and traditional channels in innovative ways.

The final phase of the Future of Luxury Retail challenge shortlisted five startups from the UK, France, and the USA, including LiveCrew, Wanna Fashion, Spaycial, Emperia, and Q’emotion. The companies were invited to Dubai to participate in a comprehensive eight-week program to develop their projects, in cooperation with the Richemont team, before the final evaluation process.

The winning startup, LiveCrew, helps retailers understand the profiles of their boutique visitors and their reasons for visiting the store, along with it analyzing their purchases. It leverages salespeople’s knowledge and uses offline data to boost online conversion and study the customer omnichannel journey.

Abdulaziz Al Jaziri, Deputy CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said, “As a global laboratory, Dubai has transformed into a platform for industry experts, startups, and entrepreneurs to develop novel solutions to future challenges. DFA aims to strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading city of the future by providing an environment for innovations and entrepreneurs to thrive. It is an environment that facilitates collaboration and enables technologies and new ideas to flourish.”

He added, “The Future of Luxury Retail initiative has attracted a wide, global participation of startups. The solutions will create customized experiences that satisfy the customers’ needs and expectations while providing a smoother, more enjoyable experience. By utilizing Dubai Future Accelerators’ capabilities to co-create solutions to future challenges, the startups presented innovations, talent, and skills necessary to enhance the customer experience by leveraging areas such as data analysis, customer behavior analytics, and innovative communication channels.”

Pierre Fayard, CEO MEIA, Richemont, said, “We’re very grateful for the partnership between Richemont and the Dubai Future Foundation. Inviting our employees across the Group, Maisons, and retail to come together and work with the various startups has added significant value, and the feedback has been highly positive.”

He added, “Innovation and technology is the future. It fosters growth and is needed to adapt and overcome challenges, particularly in the field of luxury retail. Our objective with this program was to think outside the box and ensure a bright, innovative future. Having the opportunity to implement this through a creative and collaborative program, such as the Dubai Future Accelerators, brings us yet another step closer to our goal of progressing in the luxury retail field and connecting with our consumers.

“We sincerely thank all involved in this program and look forward to collaborating with the Dubai Future Foundation again to re-imagine and co-create a better tomorrow.”

Dubai Future Accelerators

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation launched Dubai Future Accelerators programme in 2016. It is considered a global platform that provides an opportunity for startups and entrepreneurs worldwide to collaborate with strategic government entities and work closely with decision-makers in Dubai. The DFA programme contributes to Dubai’s position as a hub for innovation, a testbed for emerging technologies, and an attractive destination for startups and entrepreneurs with bold solutions to future challenges.

Dubai Future Accelerators organises a series of specialised workshops, meetings, and various knowledge exchange events within AREA 2071, and provides an ideal opportunity for collaborations to find solutions to various challenges by exploring, developing, and optimally utilizing future technologies.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, AMEA Power announced today that it has been awarded a 120 Mega Watts (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) project in South Africa as part of the Sixth Bid Submission Phase of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) Programme.

The Doornhoek PV Project will sell electricity to the state utility, Eskom, under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement.

AMEA Power, one of the fastest growing renewable energy companies in the Middle East, is the majority shareholder in the US$120 million project, and has partnered with a consortium wholly owned by African women, formed by Ziyanda Energy and Dzimuzwo Consulting.

To further support the development of the country, AMEA Power and its partners will form a community trust, which will own a share of the project, and contribute towards the economic development of communities close to the project.

Hussain Al Nowais, Chairman of AMEA Power, said, “The awarding of this project, represents another major milestone for AMEA Power as it is our first in South Africa and was granted in competition with other major renewable energy players. Over the next decade, the country will undergo a massive transition in its approach to electricity generation as the network decommissions large amounts of coal generation and adopts cleaner solutions like wind and solar. AMEA Power aims to bring many more clean energy projects onto the grid to help address the energy shortfall, and provide clean, affordable energy to the country in the long term.”

“Clean energy solutions presents tremendous opportunities for delivering investment, job creation and social development across South Africa. As AMEA Power expands its clean energy footprint across the continent, South Africa will be a major market for the Company and an opportunity to work with local partners to develop projects across the country,” he added.

The solar project, which is located near the town of Klerksdorp in the North West Province, will generate more than 325GWh of clean energy per year and power around 25,000 households. In total, the project is expected to offset 290,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The construction of the Doornhoek PV Project will commence by mid-2023, and will make use of more than 45 percent of locally sourced materials and resources.

As part of its long term planning to reduce its carbon emissions and provide greater energy stability across its electricity network, South Africa aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix from 11 percent to 41 percent by 2030. The country also plans to decommission between 8GW and 12GW of coal fired power plants over the next decade.

AMEA Power has a secured a number of sites suitable for the development of a further 1GW of renewable energy projects in South Africa, which the Company will bid into future REIPPP Programmes, and provision for private sector consumers. The Company is also exploring opportunities with a number of commercial and industrial entities across South Africa to provide them with access to renewable energy.

AMEA Power is rapidly expanding its investments in wind, solar, energy storage and green hydrogen, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the global energy transition. The Company has clean energy pipeline of over 6GW across 16 countries.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Dubai Customs held a meeting with a delegation from the Turkish Consulate in Dubai, with the aim of enhancing cooperation, exchanging customs expertise and knowledge, as well as boosting mutual trade.

Mohammed Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Acting Director of Customs Intelligence Department, received the visitors and reaffirmed the importance of meetings with diplomatic missions to enhance cooperation and develop mutual trade.

Al Suwaidi highlighted the growing volume and value of trade between Dubai and Türkiye, which reflected the distinctive relations between the two sides.

“Undoubtedly cooperation between Dubai Customs and the commercial attaché at the Turkish Consulate will help boost exchange of trade and intelligence information, which can enhance commercial activities, facilitate supply chain and encourage more investments,” he said.

Yunis Ibrahim, Senior Manager of Customer Service, Client Happiness Department, and Maryam Al Muhairi, Manager of External Relations Section at Corporate Communication Department, attended the meeting.

Source: Emirates News Agency