200 Emiratis trained as part of 'Create Apps in Dubai' initiative

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has unveiled its key achievements during the first quarter of 2024. The announcement underlines the chamber’s contribution to advancing the digital industries in the emirate to achieve the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and consolidate Dubai’s position as the global capital of the digital economy.

During the first three months of 2024, the chamber trained 200 Emiratis as part of the ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ initiative, which is led by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and was launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.

His Highness honoured the winners of the ‘App Olympics’ competition, which was launched as part of the Create Apps in Dubai initiative, during a special awards ceremony organised by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy at the Museum of the Future in February. The competition attracted over 1,100 applications from all corners of the globe, with international participants from 64 countries accounting for 30% of the entries submitted. The remaining 70% of entries were from UAE nationals and residents. A total of 247 ideas were chosen to participate in the App Olympics programme and compete across four categories, with 12 ideas selected to progress to the final.

During the awards ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, announced the launch of a global edition of the App Olympics to allow innovators and developers of smart applications from around the world to participate more widely in the next edition.

‘Create Apps in Dubai’ was launched to strengthen digital capabilities in the UAE and has set a target to train 1,000 Emiratis in cooperation with the private sector. The initiative aims to triple the number of app developers in Dubai by 2025 and support 100 new national projects for the development of cutting-edge mobile applications.

Spearheaded by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ seeks to capitalise on emerging growth opportunities in the sector by creating a strong digital infrastructure, establishing a legislative framework that supports application development, and providing government incentives to accelerate the sector’s growth, in line with the chamber’s strategic objectives.

As part of the ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ programme, the chamber organised a training session in cooperation with Talabat to enhance the digital knowledge of participants and equip them with the technical expertise required to develop their ideas and applications.

During the first three months of this year, Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy successfully supported 45 high-potential digital startups to establish and grow their businesses in the emirate. The chamber also signed four MoUs with additional partners to provide packages of services and solutions designed to support tech and digital companies planning to set up and scale up in Dubai.

His Excellency Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, commented: “Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the emirate is continuing to strengthen its advanced digital ecosystem and enhance its competitiveness and attractiveness for global businesses and investors. We remain committed to building the world’s best technological infrastructure, as well as attracting digital companies to the emirate and supporting their growth to achieve the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which seeks to generate an annual contribution of AED 100 billion to the emirate’s economy from digital transformation projects.”

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and Dubai World Trade Centre launched the first stage of the international promotional campaign for Expand North Star 2024, the world’s largest event for startups and investors, which will be hosted by the chamber at Dubai Harbour from 13 – 16 October. The first of the 2024 international roadshows took place in Poland, where a series of sessions and activities were held at the Google Campus in Warsaw.

The two-day event attracted 150 Polish tech companies, who participated in a total of 22 meetings. The event included a pitch competition introducing groundbreaking ideas from 10 finalists in various sectors. Participants competed for a fully funded market access week in Dubai and a place in the semi-final of the Supernova Challenge, which will be held as part of Expand North Star 2024.

The chamber also strengthened its active presence as a strategic partner in several key events during the first quarter of the year, including the ‘1 Billion Followers Summit’ held in Dubai.