Category: National

DUBAI, Over the past years, the UAE has succeeded in becoming one of the world’s most successful countries in attracting foreign investment due to a range of factors and incentives that earned it its status as a preferred destination for investors.

The UAE boasts a vibrant and prosperous business environment that excels at attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), as it is supported by a legal and legislative infrastructure that protects foreign capital.

In his statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Mustafa Hemani, CEO of the Hemani Group and Director of the Pakistan Business Council, stressed that the UAE is the land of promising investment opportunities, as it is powered by the vision of its wise leadership, which helped position it among the world’s fastest growing economies.

Hemani also pointed out that he has lived in Dubai for 36 years and his business in the herbs and spices trade continues to see year-on-year growth, adding that his company trades over 1,000 products and imports herbs from over 83 countries.

Since coming to Dubai in 1995, the Hemani Group now has grown to incorporate five companies in Pakistan, in addition to its headquarters and retail offices in the emirate and a sales office in the United States, he added, noting that the company has over 1,500 employees.

Hemani commended the UAE leadership’s support of investors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, affirming that the country has successfully dealt with the pandemic and held major conferences, exhibitions and events, while maintaining precautionary measures.

Expo 2020 Dubai, which will be held this year, will undoubtedly be a success thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, he stressed.

The Pakistan Business Council always strives to strengthen the bilateral trade between the UAE and Pakistan, Hemani said, noting that there are many alluring investment opportunities in the UAE, especially as it is one of the safest countries in the world.

He lauded the UAE’s new residency laws, as well as the laws allowing foreigners to fully own businesses in the country, a step that will surely impact the business community positively and boost investor confidence.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, called upon the graduates of the One Million Arab Coders initiative to compete in the initiatives challenge and develop projects and solutions using the skills they acquired during their participation in the programme.

The grand prize for the most innovative coding project is US$1 million, and five runners-up will receive US$50,000 each. In addition, four of the best trainers will win US$25,000 each.

Interested graduates can submit their projects through the official website of the One Million Arab Coders initiative: www.arabcoders.ae. The entries will be evaluated by a jury of experts in coding, technology, and entrepreneurship from the UAE and abroad. The winners will be announced at ceremony held at the Expo 2020 Dubai venue towards the end of the year.

Led by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) and within the framework of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), One Million Arab Coders was the largest initiative of its kind in the world that aimed to teach one million young people from the Arab world how to code. Despite the obstacles and logistical challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, the initiative successfully achieved its goal within the set timeframe of three years.

In a series of tweets posted on his official Twitter account, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum praised the achievements of the One Million Arab Coders initiative, saying, “One million Arab coders from 80 countries joined the most important programme to train them in the language of the future… through five million working hours, 76,000 training workshops, 100,000 successful graduation projects and 1,500 scholarships for outstanding students… a great achievement for our Arab youth in three years.”

He added, “The process of development and digitalisation in the region continues under the leadership of the UAE. The graduates of the One Million Arab Coders are invited to participate in the biggest coding challenge announced from Dubai to the Arab world create tangible impacts for their societies and building a brighter future for their countries.”

Announcing the new challenge, Sheikh Mohammed said, “We welcome the graduates of the One Million Arab coders initiative to compete for the title of the Top Coder in the Arab world. We look forward to projects that serve humanity, enhance quality of life, and further contribute to building stable and prosperous societies.”

He added, “Our Arab youth are the wealth of our nation, and they are the pillars of its development, and they are the ones who will put their countries on the path of a future proof nation. Programming, technology, and advanced sciences are the building blocks of this future.”

In closing, he said, “The future is full of endless opportunities awaiting disruptive ideas. The One Million Arab Coders challenge opens its doors and welcomes talents who seek to jump on the digital transformation wave to push their boundaries by developing themselves further, and actively developing their nation’s digital economy as a whole.”

Sheikh Mohammed also announced recently launch of the National Programme for Coders in partnership with Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), LinkedIn, NVIDIA, and Facebook. The scheme seeks to train 100,000 coders, establish 1,000 digital companies that will go global, and increase start-up investments from AED1.5 billion to AED4 billion.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched One Million Arab Coders in October 2017. The initiative provided an opportunity for young Arab talent to learn a wide variety of coding skills and apply them in website and mobile application development, blockchain, artificial intelligence, data, and cloud computing. The coders clocked in five million training hours, participated in 76,000 workshops, and completed 100,000 successful graduation projects.

Since its launch, the initiative has awarded over 1,000 nanodegree certificates to distinguished coders. More than 3,600 certified trainers from around the world were at hand to help the participants with the technical aspects and provide support in converting their ideas into practical projects.

As an offshoot of the initiative, One Million Jordanian Coders was launched in May 2019 within the framework of the strategic partnership between the UAE and Jordan in government modernisation to position Jordan among the most advanced countries in the world in the field of coding.

One Million Arab Coders transcended the boundaries of the Arab world in November 2019 with the rollout of One Million Uzbek Coders in partnership between the governments of the UAE and Uzbekistan.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received Dr. Fatima Al Falasi, Director-General of Dubai Women’s Association, and Mona Al Suwaidi, Principal of the Office of Dubai Women’s Association.

Al Tayer praised the association’s efforts to consolidate solidarity and social cohesion and promote the noble values of Emirati society. He underlined DEWA’s support to all national efforts to raise awareness on emerging developments and uphold tolerance, respect, cohesion, modesty and loyalty towards the nation.

“DEWA is committed to its societal responsibility to consolidate the values of national identity and social harmony instilled by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. We also strive to enhance the UAE’s position as a role model for positivity and happiness,” he affirmed.

“At DEWA, we work to achieve the UAE Centennial 2071 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to build the UAE of the future and equip the nation for future generations by investing primarily in its youth, and working to make the UAE one of the happiest, most advanced and best countries in the world,” said Al Tayer.

“We commend the Dubai Women’s Association’s role and the mass wedding initiative launched by the association under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to build a cohesive and stable society, and create a tolerant environment based on brotherhood among Emiratis. Mass weddings serve Emirati youth in all areas by providing support to those who are getting married, by minimising the cost of wedding ceremonies. This helps them achieve their goals in creating a stable family,” added Al Tayer.

Dr. Al Falasi thanked DEWA for its noble efforts to support the mass wedding initiative of its Consulting and Training Centre. DEWA has supported these mass weddings since the sixth initiative in 2017 until the 13th one in 2019, she said.

“We are proud that this support has established 72 stable families and eased the burden of wedding costs. We appreciate DEWA’s active response and positive partnership to achieve the directives of the wise leadership to support social development. This partnership is a unique and live example of responsible citizenship. We look forward for more collaboration in the Year of the Fiftieth as we aim to organise 50 mass weddings, which are becoming increasingly popular,” she added.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) Sector in Dubai Economy has intensified inspections across the markets in Dubai in view of the Eid Al Adha season to monitor prices and protect consumer rights. The inspections mainly focus on ensuring that the prices of sacrificial livestock and salon services are not unfairly increased, as they are in high demand during this season, according to a statement issued on Sunday.

Ahmad Al Zaabi, Director of the Consumer Protection in Dubai Economy, reiterated that consumers will be able to buy products and services within their personal budget to celebrate Eid Al Adha in Dubai, and reminded that no price manipulation or attempt to exploit the situation will not be tolerated.

Al Zaabi added that consumers should follow prudent consumption patterns during the holidays and avoid deviating from their pre-planned budget. He also urged consumers to report any price hike through the Dubai Consumer App available on Apple, Google and Huawei stores, by calling 600545555 or on the Consumerrights.ae website.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, received Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, and the accompanying delegation in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.

The UAE delegation’s visit to Azerbaijan, led by Al Marri, was aimed at finalising new plans for joint action during the next phase to increase trade exchanges and investment flows between the two countries, thereby bolstering strategic economic partnerships.

The visit included meetings between Al Marri with and Ali Asadov, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan; Mikayil Jabbarov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy; Rashad Nabiyev, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Transport, Communications and Advanced Technology; and representatives of Azerbaijan’s business sector.

President Aliyev expressed his satisfaction with the relations between the two countries, and his desire to strengthen UAE-Azerbaijan economic cooperation and strategic partnerships over the next 10 years through creating new investment opportunities, by focusing on several vital sectors, such as infrastructure, logistical transport, investment in renewable energy, and tourism.

During the meeting, Al Marri said, “Azerbaijan is a friendly country, a major economic partner of the UAE in the region, and a popular destination for UAE citizens to travel, study, and engage in commercial activities and investments. The UAE government is keen to continue working closely with our Azerbaijani partners to develop cooperation in various sectors that hold promising opportunities for the future.”

During another meeting, Al Marri and Asadov discussed ways to develop UAE-Azerbaijan relations, and explored the prospects for supporting and developing them by utilising promising potentials and opportunities available to both sides.

Asadov said, “We see promising opportunities to strengthen the partnership with the UAE at both governmental and private levels, by making the best use of the promising potentials and opportunities available on both sides. This is within the framework of fruitful cooperation in various vital areas of common interest, especially the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence, e-commerce and food security. We will work to elevate effective partnerships between the two countries to a new level of excellence to serve both countries’ development aspirations.”

Al Marri said, “The relations between the UAE and Azerbaijan are witnessing rapid progress in various fields, especially on the economic and commercial front. This provides a solid ground for enhancing joint action between the UAE and the Azerbaijani governments to further raise levels of cooperation and economic integration.”

Furthermore, the sides praised the existing cooperation between their countries on various issues of common interest, and their continuous coordination on economic developments through their joint membership in many international organisations, which enhances their roles and contributions to peace, security and development in the region and the world.

During Al Marri’s meeting with Jabbarov, the sides agreed to adopt joint practical steps to facilitate and increase trade exchange, create new investment opportunities for the private sector in both countries. In addition, companies will be encouraged to explore new horizons for partnership and take advantage of promising opportunities in each other’s markets.

Jabbarov highlighted the importance of Azerbaijan’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai to contribute to its success.

Al Marri showcased the UAE’s efforts and initiatives to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate economic recovery.

In this regard, the two ministers approved mechanisms to exchange knowledge and share best practices in driving economic recovery and exploring new opportunities and sectors in the post-COVID-19 era.

The ministers also agreed to hold the 8th session of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) in the UAE, coinciding with Expo 2020 Dubai, and set the outlines for an expanded programme for the next JEC, which focuses on vital traditional sectors, as well as new economic sectors, such as space, innovation, renewable energy, digital transformation, modern agriculture, smart transport and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The total volume of non-oil trade between the UAE and Azerbaijan during the first nine months of 2020 amounted to more than AED 1.2 billion (US$ 323 million). The UAE is Azerbaijan’s largest trading partner in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as it accounts for 76 percent of Azerbaijan’s trade with the GCC countries.

Furthermore, the two ministers approved a plan of action to increase air connectivity, transport passengers and freight movements between the cities of the two countries.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, discussed with Canadian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marc Garneau, relations and cooperation between the UAE and Canada and ways to enhance them in the best interests of the two countries and peoples.

During the meeting, held via video conferencing, the two ministers reviewed the situation in the Middle East and the importance of boosting security and stability in the region. They also tackled several regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Sheikh Abdullah and Garneau reviewed the efforts of both countries in the fight against COVID-19 and the need to develop international collective action to ensure the delivery of the vaccine for the virus to all countries.

The two sides discussed the UAE’s hosting of the Expo 2020 Dubai, which will start in October 2021, and Canada’s participation in it.

Sheikh Abdullah emphasised the strong bilateral ties between the UAE and Canada and keenness on developing them in all domains.

Fahad Saeed Mohammed Al Raqbani, UAE Ambassador to Canada, and Marcy Grossman, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE, attended the meeting.

Source: Emirates News Agency