Time to export UAE talent to the world
Public private partnerships are laying the foundation for a more successful, innovative UAE
From our humble beginnings to our incredible vision, one thing has remained certain — the UAE has ensured that its people were always at the core of its vision and development. Today, not only are people at the very heart of the UAE national agenda, their happiness is also its soul.
We are already seeing the UAE catapulted among global powerhouses as a country that stands for innovation, for technology and for the future. However, we are often seen as a country that imports talent to achieve our incredible feats. Today, we must come together to change these perceptions and drive a new paradigm when it comes to the way UAE talent is represented on the global stage. Local businesses must come together, not only to create incredible brands, products and services but to also work with the government on building a strong public private partnership model that puts education and entrepreneurship at the forefront to create an export of talent that will carry the essence of the UAE throughout the world.
The UAE is made up of around 9 million people, of which around 7 million are expatriates. These are the people we have relied on for building our nation from the ground up. In fact, as a country we are known for making dreams come true. Anyone can come to the UAE and become a successful entrepreneur — we hear these incredible stories every day. Potential progress brought about by innovation and technology is yet another addition to the list of opportunities for entrepreneurship. What we need to focus on now is creating an environment for Emirati entrepreneurs to prosper, grow their business and export their goods and services, propelling the UAE to new heights as a purveyor of home-grown entrepreneurship.
According to a recent Dubai SME report, the UAE is far ahead of other Mena countries when it comes to investing in entrepreneurship — we witnessed a 70 per cent jump in the value of tech investments, and that’s without factoring in the blockbuster deals that were Careem and Souq.com.
Taking advantage of the entrepreneurial and innovative climate brought on by the advent of technology, our government has already launched initiatives such as the Dubai Future Accelerators to bring together the world’s brightest minds with government entities to develop transformational solutions for future challenges. Private sector entities still need to step up to the plate when it comes to supporting entrepreneurship at a local level.
At EITC, we are proud supporters of the UAE government and aim to provide a digital backbone to power their initiatives. We believe that accelerators and incubators have the potential to foster collaboration and investment and to create products and that can become viable exports that address future challenges, not only for our nation, but also for the world. As an information and communications technology business, we have the tools in place to further develop and enhance this climate of innovation.
We see it as our responsibility to bring innovation and entrepreneurship to a grassroots level and support the government in its endeavour to prepare the UAE youth for the responsibility of becoming the future leaders of tomorrow. This is why we have our own initiatives such as Agent 055 — fostering entrepreneurship at a grassroots level — and our Masar Graduate Trainee programme — training young graduates for a career in ICT. By investing in the success of the world’s young business leaders, private entities are paving the way for technological evolution and adaptation — which is vital for their long-term sustainability.
For companies in an age of digitalisation, supporting the youth entrepreneurship agenda presents an opportunity to create a connected marketplace and business landscape through the disruptive technologies that align with the disruptive entrepreneurial business model. Taking this strategic direction enables us to break barriers faced by entrepreneurs in taking their offering to the global market and helping more entrepreneurs connect with international value chains.
At the end of the day, it is when UAE startups begin making waves in the global economy that we will truly experience the success of the UAE as a value creator for the global economy.
The writer is deputy CEO of telco services at du. Views expressed are his own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy.