The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has partnered with enterprise business software firm SAP to support UAE businesses and talents.
The partnership will see the two organisations work together to enhance industry innovation and digital transformation, develop advanced business models and foster local digital competencies, nurture Emirati talents and support supporting startups and small business enterprises (SMEs) in the UAE.
In line with the collaboration, ADDED intends to leverage SAP’s UAE cloud offering while simultaneously enabling SAP to accelerate expansion in the region as an authorised cloud services provider. Both parties also intend to work together to develop emerging talent by training UAE nationals through in-country, global and virtual programmes on technology, business, and behavioural skills.
In addition, ADDED and SAP aim to support job seekers and freelancers through a new SAP-designed platform that will bridge the gap between supply and demand for full-time and freelance opportunities.
The support that ADDED and SAP will offer to SMEs and startups as part of the MoU will be delivered through “SAP.io” and “Grow by SAP” initiatives. In addition, both parties are exploring the feasibility of establishing a regional innovation center in Abu Dhabi to deliver support to both public and private sector entities, and services.
ADDED and SAP have also stated their intention to explore and launch Industry 4.0 initiatives within Abu Dhabi, where SAP aims to create a Point of View (POV) document to propose mutually beneficial strategic initiatives.
Furthermore, SAP intends to train individuals in the manufacturing sector in digital skills to succeed in Industry 4.0 while developing an emirate-wide framework to adopt consistent manufacturing standards.
Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of ADDED, said, “Innovation and talent development are among our top priorities as we are focusing on knowledge and innovation-based economic sectors. We believe that training and upskilling our talents will support in finding innovative solutions to current and future challenges. To this end, our collaboration with SAP is focusing on training UAE youth to equip them with soft and hard skills that are necessary for future.”
He further noted that with SAP’s experience and Abu Dhabi’s record in digital transformation, we are confident that we have the right formula for a project of this magnitude.
Sergio Maccotta, Senior Vice President, Middle East South, SAP, said, “Our partnership with ADDED is a key enabler of SAP’s wider support for Abu Dhabi’s public sector and economy. By being an authorised provider, we aim to equip Abu Dhabi entities with the integrated strategy, solutions, and services to accelerate their digitalisation through the cloud, innovation, and wider adoption of Industry 4.0.”
