Hamdan highlights unique model of public-private sector partnership

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, on Wednesday met with over 150 prominent leaders from Dubai’s public and private sectors to explore ways of achieving the goals of the city’s strategic vision for sustainable growth within the framework of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.

The meeting, held at the Dubai Majlis, was organised by the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) in cooperation with Dubai Chambers at Qasr Al Bahr in Dubai. Titled the ‘Dubai Majlis-D33’, the event brought together leading business personalities and entrepreneurs, key representatives of UAE-based multinational companies, international investors and senior officials of Dubai government entities for wide ranging discussions on the city’s economic policies, reforms and long-term development plans.

During the meeting,  Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed highlighted the unique model of public-private sector partnership in Dubai, which supports the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with the aim of doubling the size of Dubai’s economy over the next decade and consolidating its status as one of the top three global cities.

“The strong partnerships between Dubai’s public and private sectors have led to exceptional economic outcomes in the emirate and were a key driver of its growth. We seek to further consolidate these partnerships and enhance the city’s business environment to support the growth of private sector companies in Dubai. New creative initiatives and solutions are vital to achieving the objectives set by HH Sheikh Mohammed in the D33 Agenda for the next ten years,” His Highness said.

Sheikh Hamdan added that he was confident in the ability of both the public and private sectors to achieve the objectives of the D33 Agenda, which seeks to transform Dubai into the best city to live, work and invest.

The gathering, attended by Abdul-Aziz Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chambers, and  Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, provided participants an opportunity to exchange views and ideas on the D33 Agenda.

The Dubai Majlis-D33 discussed efforts to realise the ambitious goals of the D33 Agenda, under the guidance of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed, the follow-up of  Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance of the UAE; and the concerted efforts of government teams working closely with the private sector. The gathering also highlighted the various steps taken by the Government of Dubai to ensure continuous collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Meanwhile, International Data Corporation (IDC) today launched the 16th edition of its annual IDC Middle East CIO Summit at Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm. With more than 500 of the region’s most influential ICT decision makers in attendance, the two-day event — which this year runs under the theme ‘Enabling the Digital Economy’s Leaders’ — was opened by IDC’s global president, Crawford Del Prete, as he presented the summit’s keynote, ‘Strategies for the CIO and Enterprise Innovation’.

“As storms of disruption continue to gather, it is crucial that CIOs are clear on what they need to do now — and in the future — to create an environment for long-term sustainable innovation,” said Del Prete. “Central to this is the need to build a culture of trust across the entire organization and its broader ecosystem of partners and customers. We are increasingly seeing a move toward greater industry ecosystem-led innovation, and it is important that CIOs fully understand the implications of this ongoing decentralization. At the same time, enterprise leaders must view increased line-of-business investment as a springboard to greater innovation and not an end state in itself.”

The IDC Middle East CIO Summit has been a staple of the region’s ICT calendar for 16 years, serving as the ICT community’s premier source of learning about the industry’s latest developments. As well as informative presentations, in-depth discussions, and expert-led panel sessions, this year’s edition incorporates five different ‘Transformation Zones’ demonstrating pioneering use cases and technological advances in the areas of the metaverse, DevOps, customer experience, sustainability, and Industry 4.0.

The rise of the digital economy was central to discussions on Day 1 of the summit, with IDC’s group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa, Jyoti Lalchandani, explaining that it is one of the hottest tech trends shaping investment in 2023. “We are seeing a growing focus across the region on developing the infrastructure, innovation platforms, and skills required to support the expansion of digital businesses,” said Lalchandani. “To set themselves apart in an increasingly competitive market, organizations need to leverage infrastructure, data, and skills alongside critical technology enablers such as 5G, the cloud, and AI. Only then will they be able to successfully re-invent their business models, create new customer experiences, and drive innovation with their partners.”