Under the patronage of his highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Vice Commander of the Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi Entrepreneurship Forum launches on 8 and 9 October. Organised by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, the forum will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.
HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development will inaugurate the forum with the presence of HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, and HE Mohammed Omar Abdullah, Undersecretary of the Department of Economic Development, in addition to a number of regional decision makers and entrepreneurship specialists.
On the occasion of the forum, Chairman of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Hussein Jasim al Nuwais, said, “Our move to organize and launch the forum has been directly related to our mission and objectives of building the economics of knowledge and sustainable development and planting the deeds of business entrepreneurship, in order to develop a creative and motivated generation and in light of the UAE’s impressive economic rise and development.”
He added, “The fund, in light of the wise directions of the government, is leading the journey of growth in this sector in the UAE, in general, and in Abu Dhabi, specifically, for the activation of a youthful and local entrepreneurship organisation that will help in improving the business and investment sectors, and help in impacting this dynamic sector positively while catering to the needs of the national economy.”
He stressed that the fund has become one of the main drivers of the impressive economic growth in the country, thanks to the major role the government has played in supporting the fund on the different levels of its programs across the social and economic sectors.
Most prominent among attendees, Lord Peter Mendelsohn, former Minister, Member of the House of Lords, and Chairman of Lazard International, described Abu Dhabi as a significant player in the global market, providing unique investment opportunities in an environment that competes fiercely for investors, and facilitating various elements that, in their turn, improve the potential for success and ensure its contribution towards the advancement of sustainable economic development in the emirate.
The forum’s agenda deals with a number of core issues, mainly focusing on stimulating the business environment, self-employment, boosting investment through the activation of the role of young entrepreneurs, and supporting their existing projects towards further expansion and prosperity, which would contribute to enhancing the image of the economic landscape of the emirate.
The forum also highlights the challenges facing the sector and means to confront them, enable small and medium sized companies by granting them access to successful experiences, and ensure the enhancement of the efficiency of the local economy on the basis of precise criteria and methodology.
The forum features a constellation of local, regional and global entrepreneurs, government officials, and representatives from the private sector and the media such as: HE Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development; Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO of Alsayegh Media; Clare Woodcraft, CEO of the Emirates Foundation; Badr Jafar, Managing Director of Crescent Group and co-founder of Global Gumbo Group; Hala Fadel, Chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region.
It also brings under its umbrella a group of leading companies in the region, notably: ADTC, Noor Islamic Bank, Sanabel (the Microfinance Network of Arab Countries), Amal Bank of Yemen, Bedaya Center of Qatar, the National Entrepreneurship Institute of Saudi Arabia, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, among other companies.
The fund will be launched on 7 October, the day before the start of the activities of the forum, the annual exhibition which concentrates on the stimulation of the business environment to support and enhance the performance of the national economy through the presentation of the work of small and medium entrepreneurs financed by the Fund throughout the year.
The names of award winning projects by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development will be announced during the exhibition, where certificates and commemorative shields will be distributed to the winners, with prize money given to the heritage project category, and a cash prize for the best Emirati project.
Union National Bank is a gold sponsor of the Abu Dhabi Forum 2013, while each of British Petroleum, the Offset Program Bureau, and Senaat General Holding Corporation provide platinum sponsorship. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Abu Dhabi is a silver sponsor, while Mubadala Development Company is a bronze sponsor.
