E-ABU DHABI
Technology is a key element to fuel the diversification agenda of the region away from the historic reliance on oil and gas.
How can technology help companies achieve their potential?
Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori ADSIC's mission is to simplify processes and make the life of local entities easier. Previously, establishing a business in Abu Dhabi was a process that involved 25 entities, and now we have everything unified under the DED Business Centre and the No Objection Certificate (NOC). A year into the implementation of NOC, the number of transactions has skyrocketed as processing times shrank from four months to 15 days. We also launched Abu Dhabi Services, a one-stop-shop app through which users can access more than 1,100 services and make transactions through mobile apps. We also have City Guard, a platform that collects and tracks customers' governmental complaints as feedback in order to make their relations with public institutions much more efficient.
Khaled Al Melhi Nearly every country in the world depends on SMEs, and typically they represent over half of a country's GDP and workforce. Every large corporation in existence today, including Injazat, started as an SME at some point. That is just as true in the UAE, if not even more so. We see SMEs as critical to the health and wealth of the nation's economy, and we see Injazat as a catalyst to support and accelerate the success of these SMEs. Through our partnership with Maestrano, Injazat can offer a true pay-as-you-go capability that enables SMEs to gain all the benefits of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system at a fraction of the cost. This service combines world-class SME applications, which the client selects from the App Store, with Maestrano's patented technology to avoid data duplication and multiple entries. All of this is delivered from the UAE's most advanced cloud-based data center. In addition, the Maestrano platform has many front office, CRM, and e-commerce applications as well.
What do you see for the future of the sector in 2017?
RLAM Our current vision puts 2021 as our deadline for reaching our targets. The most challenging part is transitioning to the changes and the fast pace at which they are happening. This industry will see less and less external assistance as time goes by but this will also come with new larger opportunities for the private sector's services. The cloud is a big example of this, with potential to become a USD1.4 billion project. ADSIC is helping design the UAE's future and we want to remain open to alternatives and any progress coming our way.
KAM The technology sector and the integration of technology in business, government, and domestic spaces has grown tremendously since Injazat's founding in 2005. Additionally, we see a myriad of initiatives to increase the levels of automation in business from retail to banking and transportation to government services, all focused on increasing the quality of user experience and reducing the costs of delivery. Enterprises increasingly want to focus on outcomes, more than the means to achieve them. That is where technology providers like Injazat can make a difference, and offerings such as Injazat's cloud service can make the journey to that vision much more achievable and affordable.
How are you committed to helping raising local businesses?
RLAM We have expanded our network with the private sector. We do not see them as competition, but as a contributor to our work and as potential beneficiaries from our services, too. We work with them under different schemes, such as building their capacities for core and non-core, or for focused solutions that can change one single operation. We provide services through IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and other multinationals at that level. These companies provide services through our management structure, giving more flexibility to the private sector in terms of the platforms they can use to participate and create opportunities for potential users. We are expanding our services with the private sector because we perceive them as an engine for our technological growth.
KAM We are delighted to work alongside du and many other major ICT companies in the region, and we take an active role in many conferences and exhibitions in the GCC. As part of any Maestrano rollout, we work with the sponsor to develop and deliver orientation classes for the use of the applications and the cloud, so that SME staff can quickly add value to their businesses. Our newly revamped website provides information and whitepapers on both our services and on trends we see in the market. Our vendor-agnostic approach means that our prospects and clients receive unbiased advice on creating and implementing their technology and services roadmaps. Injazat is a commercial business, but we are committed to improving the skills and capabilities of the UAE in all aspects of the information systems and technology space.
E-ABU DHABI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guest Speaker
Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General , Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
TBY talks to Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), on mutual cooperation between the UAE and OPEC and hosting the World Oil Outlook (WOO) launch in Abu Dhabi.
read articleFocus: Female Empowerment
On the road to equality
Today the UAE stands as a beacon in the fight for female empowerment in the Gulf. The country has adopted an inclusive agenda to further integrate women into the highest levels of management in public and private entities, rewritten part of its legislation to reorient it toward gender equality, and designed programs to foster the creativity of a growing number of female entrepreneurs.
read articleInterview
Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, Undersecretary , Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi (ADDED)
TBY talks to Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, Undersecretary of the Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi (ADDED), on its plans to make the Emirate a better place to do business, the new industrial plan, and how it is fostering innovation.
read articleInterview
Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Alshehhi, Undersecretary , Ministry of Economy of the UAE
TBY talks to Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Alshehhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy of the UAE, on the value of creativity, the development of the industrial sector, and supporting SME development.
read articleInterview
Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Group CEO & Managing Director , Mubadala Investment Company
TBY talks to Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Group CEO & Managing Director of Mubadala Investment Company, on how the merging of two key investment entities will drive Abu Dhabi's diversification strategy.
read articleFocus: Knowledge Economy
Turning the ship around
The government of Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Executive Council, is investing heavily in a shift from an oil-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, where information supersedes commodities and the highest form of capital is human capital.
read articleInterview
Rashed A. Al Blooshi, Chief Executive, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)
TBY talks to Rashed A. Al Blooshi, Chief Executive of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), on the powers of blockchain technology, strengthening bankruptcy law, and enhancing Abu Dhabi's position as a global finance hub.
read articleInterview
Philippe Ghanem, Vice Chairman & CEO , ADS Securities
TBY talks to Philippe Ghanem, Vice Chairman & CEO of ADS Securities, on confirming Abu Dhabi's place in the global financial sun, the importance of smart and predictable regulation, and having had the foresight to diversify before the oil crash.
read articleInterview
Ali Vezvaei, President, Middle East & North Africa of Linde Engineering,
TBY talks to Ali Vezvaei, President, Middle East & North Africa of Linde Engineering, on tying one's belt in trying times, the smart combination of technology and operational elements, and building a blueprint for the CO2 eco-system.
read articleInterview
Mansour Al Mansoori, Director General , National Media Council (NMC)
TBY talks to Mansour Al Mansoori, Director General of the National Media Council (NMC), on the changing nature of media consumption in the UAE, developing local content, and improving literacy in the Emirates.
read articleFocus: MAQTA GATEWAY
Bridging outwards
One of the core pillars of the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 is to enable economic diversification and growth. Abu Dhabi Ports made its own contribution to this vision by launching the Maqta Gateway in 2014, a port community system that integrates functions and sectors of trade into a single platform.
read articleInterview
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
TBY talks to Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), on opportunities in the sector and GCAA's contributions to the development of aviation in Abu Dhabi.
read articleFocus: International Business Universities
Bringing in the experts
The development of a highly skilled and developed workforce is an integral part of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 and one of the seven pillars upon which the future economic development of the Emirate lays. Education has therefore been placed in the spotlight as one of the key areas to keep a close eye on.
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