DED initiative to boost relations with business community

Dubai / WAM

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports; President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, the Department of Economic Development (DED), Government of Dubai, launched a new initiative – the Business Community Engagement (BCE) to deepen and strengthen DED’s relationship with the business community.
The initiative follows a detailed study involving comprehensive surveys of business groups and business councils in Dubai, an analysis of the current landscape; gaps and opportunities of DED-Private Sector relationships. 150 Business Groups, Trade Associations and Business Councils were covered, and more than 95 of them provided inputs to the study over seven months.
Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED, said: “The DED has always engaged the business community, but now with the Business Community Engagement initiative we have a strategy and a plan to systematically collaborate with the private sector, through the Representative Entities (Res). The REs play a critical role in economic development not only by being a voice of the industry and business sector they represent, but more importantly, they provide ideas and suggestions to the government for a
better future.”
Al Qamzi called upon more Dubai-based enterprises to join their respective business groups or industry associations and urge business groups to formalise and upgrade their capacity to serve their members.
Mohammed Shael, CEO, Business Development and Strategy Sector, DED said: “Our BCE initiative aims to tap transformational ideas from the private sector and co-develop them into workable initiatives. There is tremendous scope for path-breaking synergies and potential in further collaboration between DED and business groups. Evidence shows that only through continuous conversations and collaborations with the Representative Entities can we have more effective solutions and initiatives to advance economic growth.”
The BCE initiative fits into DED’s task of developing economic policies and plans to support growth of strategic sectors as the custodian of Dubai’s economic development mandate. The primary goal is to add and create new value in Dubai’s economy by bringing the public and private sectors closer to work together in co-investing and co-developing the Dubai economy in a sustainable way. The initiative reflects the growing realisation that the government, private sector, or any single stakeholder in the economic ecosystem cannot act in isolation when new and unstoppable megatrends continue to impact global economies and societies today.
Under the initiative the DED will over the next three years, launch platforms to seek feedback and ideas from the business community on the current and future economic policy/initiatives, share information on trends and opportunities and collaborate with key private stakeholders in areas of mutual interest to add/create value for the economy. Over 30 quick-tasks and nine sustainable community initiatives have also been identified to touch the focal points of the initiative.
The DED outreach has been welcomed by business councils in Dubai, many of whom have expressed their desire to learn global best practices and sought support by way of advisory and mentoring in formulating strategies for industry growth.
Shahzad Haider, Chairman, Fragrance Foundation Arabia said: “Fragrance Foundation Arabia applauds the Business Community Engagement initiative by DED as a remarkable step towards strengthening economic progress across all industries in the UAE. The fragrance sector is a key contributor towards imports, exports and retail sectors, as well as a vital aspect of retail tourism. The recent support for the fragrance sector from DED also demonstrates a strong commitment towards long term co-operation that will result in the sector contributing more effectively to our national economy.”
Leo Fewtrell, General Manager, Dubai Tourism and Travel Agents Group (DTTAG) commented: “I am delighted with the involvement of DED in the Business Community Engagement initiative. DED’s support helps DTTAG with obtaining access to senior personnel in bodies such as Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority on a regular basis. The DED has been proactive and we now have aspirations of achieving some of our aims within the travel trade.”
Business sector representatives have also suggested measures to strengthen the BCE, including establishing a platform to communicate issues and concerns more directly and regularly with the regulator. Many expressed willingness to collaborate with the DED and arrange industry round table discussions to address specific industry issues and future development.