Emirati youth programmers to secure Ajman’s future

ajman — The Ajman government has launched the ‘Emirati Programmer’ initiative as part of the Ajman Hackathon.

Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department and chairman of the Ajman Digital Transformation Committee, launched the initiative in cooperation with Watan Fund and the Youth Centre. It is aimed at providing opportunities to developers, data scientists, designers, engineers and marketers based in the UAE, to compete and enhance their skills and experiences and strengthen capabilities to face challenges for the Ajman government.

More than 80 children will participate in the Emirati Programmer initiative, which will last for 12 weeks. Sheikh Rashid stressed on the importance of the hackathon.

“The participants are producing a lot of ideas that aim at developing programming, harnessing it for people’s benefit, and stimulating the spirit of competition and innovation among young people,” he said.

Lt-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security in Dubai, and chairman of the Watan Fund, attended the event. “We are honoured at the Watan Fund to launch this initiative for the first time, at a time when the UAE needs Emirati programmers who are able to develop projects and help in maintaining the country’s security,” said LtGen Dhahi Khalfan.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Ohood Shuhail, head of the Ajman Digital Government, said that the three-day Ajman Hackathon, which was held under the slogan ‘Unlock the future of Ajman’ focused on developing smart, top-tier solutions that will contribute to the city’s digitalisation and overall happiness in Ajman.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com