Khalifa Fund set to further enhance Abu Dhabi’s e-commerce ecosystem

The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development has partnered with eBay as the latest partner of the e-Empower initiative, under the Abu Dhabi Inspires programme.

The partnership aims to further enhance Abu Dhabi’s e-commerce ecosystem, while also being in alignment with the mandate to diversify the Emirate’s economy and increase non-oil exports to international markets.

The collaborative partnership will see Abu Dhabi based SMEs and medium-large enterprises gain a variety of benefits to create growth and encourage Abu Dhabi SMEs to venture into global exportation of their goods and services.

As part of eBay’s involvement with e-Empower, small businesses can expect to receive a tool box with a guide and best practices to selling on eBay as an independent seller, 200 free listings, and a unique offer for higher selling limits. Medium-large enterprises will be eligible to receive a personal training programme with eBay experts, higher selling limits, complementary eBay store subscription for a quarter, as well as integration subsidy and marketing benefits.

Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and Chairman of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, stated, “As the leading SME development organisation in the UAE, Khalifa Fund is constantly looking to establish partnerships with industry leading entities such as eBay, who will provide invaluable knowledge and an abundance of resources to e-Empower.

“Khalifa Fund remain committed towards enhancing all aspects of Abu Dhabi’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with specific emphasis on providing further support to the functionalities of international exportation.”

He added, “e-Empower has been amongst the most influential and impactful initiatives that Khalifa Fund has ever launched, with hundreds of hours of guidance and a vast array of Abu Dhabi companies creating their own e-commerce stores; now Khalifa Fund are focusing on bringing further support to the framework.”

Jenny Hui, General Manager of Global Emerging Markets at eBay, said, “We are thankful for the opportunity to cooperate with Khalifa fund to support and grow SMEs in the UAE. As one of our target markets, we see great potential in the UAE and wish to assist local SMEs go global and ease their journey.”

“With over 159M buyers worldwide in 190 markets and 250M searches a day, eBay opens the door to any local business to become a global player. Last year alone, we saw growth of over 28 per cent of UAE sellers on eBay, and we plan to continue and extend our support to local businesses, via different growth and support programs customised for every relevant business.”

WAM