His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development inaugurated the Tenth Annual Forum and Meeting of the International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises organized by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development hosted this year in Abu Dhabi. The event will run from March 18 to 20 at Yas Marina Circuit under the theme “Investing In Innovation: Building a Sustainable Knowledge-based Economy.”
This event plays an important role in realizing the strategic objectives of the Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision, particularly with regards to its economic aspects, as the UAE capital’s vision originates from a set of priorities that include building a business environment that is open, efficient, effective and integrated into the global economy, as well as transforming the Emirate’s economy to a knowledge-based economy. In effect, such an event provides for Emirati entrepreneurs a chance to learn about the experiences in the world of entrepreneurship, and offer a glimpse of their achievements and projects to the world, as part of the exhibition that will be present on the sidelines of the forum.
H.E. Abdullah Al Darmaki , CEO of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, commented on the forum, stating , “Since its inception, Khalifa Fund succeeded in effectively contributing in supporting government policies aimed at diversifying the sources of income and the development of small and medium enterprises sector at the state level , and we believe in the importance of learning from the experiences of others , which will be available to young UAE entrepreneurs during the forum ,”referring to the activities of the forum during its first two days of round table sessions that discuss the most important issues developed in the field of entrepreneurship , as well as an international forum to discuss challenges facing the small and medium enterprises sector in different regions of the world .
The last day of the Forum will be devoted to training sessions, during which more than 500 registered participants will benefit from new ideas and valuable information. These courses will touch upon the following topics: Sustainability and Innovation and Design, The Commercialization of Research and Tips and Guidelines for Creativity in the Field of Communication.
The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development continues its activities of financing various local projects, where its funding has exceeded 900 million dirhams in the span of seven years, as well as providing training programs in the field of entrepreneurship for those applicants who wish to take advantage of the Fund’s services.
Moreover, the Fund has organized about 366 training courses that have benefited nearly 5116 citizens from various areas within the Emirates. In parallel with these efforts, the Fund successfully seized the opportunity to host the Tenth Annual Meeting and Forum of the International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises to bring together experts in investment and entrepreneurship from around the world and present to young Emirati investors a golden opportunity to learn from their experiences.
