How to define an appropriate budget for digital transformation - one that’s realistic yet takes into consideration the aspirations of and opportunities available to your organization

This a difficult balancing act, and never more so than for digital transformation projects. Here, we share some tips to deliver you a budget that effectively serves your transformation aims, helping you maximize the impact of your initiatives.

With so many different moving parts, digital transformation projects require a rock-solid foundation from which to build - including a budget that accurately reflects the scale and complexity of the initiative, while remaining achievable and realistic.

However defining such a budget - not to mention getting it signed off - can be challenging. We’ve all heard the horror stories of projects going over budget, stalling, or even being abandoned altogether.

If you’re currently in the early stages of your digital transformation journey and want to avoid a similar fate, this post shares practical tips to put you on the right path from the start, covering some of the key considerations you’ll need to address to ensure your budget truly supports your organizational requirements and strategic goals.

8 tips for your digital transformation budget:

1. Involve everyone

You can’t involve everyone from across your organization in your budgeting process, and nor would you want to. However, where digital transformation is concerned it’s important to consider alternatives to those traditional budgeting approaches that have typically been managed on a departmental basis, with the financial director approving a high-level budget that is then distributed across the team.

These models simply aren’t viable today, when digital stretches across different departments, roles, and locations to touch all parts of the enterprise. Instead, the ubiquitous nature of digital calls for a collaborative approach that facilitates an overarching understanding of core business processes, to ensure that every element of these is factored into your budget. Without this holistic picture, you run the risk of creating bottlenecks that will draw investment down and away from the revenue-generating activities that matter.

2. Consider potential ‘hidden’ costs

Alongside the disparate requirements of the different business functions within your organization, there are almost certainly going to be additional areas that will need to be accommodated in your digital transformation budget. These can be easily overlooked, so be sure to undertake rigorous requirements gathering activities to uncover any supplementary demands.

For example, consider the following:

Infrastructure. How will your digital solutions be supported?

• Do you have any vital information/content that needs to be migrated from your existing systems?
• Is the investment required to meet relevant compliance and security standards?
• What skills and knowledge are needed to ensure your team can perform effectively?
• Change management. If your transformation is going to impact your processes, how will any necessary changes be rolled out?

… and not forgetting the costs associated with your requirements gathering activities themselves!

3. Create a shared vision

As mentioned in the introduction to this post, defining your budget is only part of the battle. You’ll also have to secure sign-off, meaning that those individuals in control of the purse strings need to be bought into your vision. It’s crucial therefore that you raise awareness of the need for - and benefits of - digital transformation at an early stage.

Even if you think this is already understood across your organization, it often isn’t the case. Indeed, as budgets are typically agreed in advance without any understanding of the complexity or dependencies involved it’s easy to assume a shared vision at the outset, only to find out further down the line that you don’t have the resources you need to move as quickly as you’d like, or achieve your desired results.

A dedicated ‘discovery’ phase can help you more clearly articulate your vision, and so communicate this to stakeholders - particularly if it includes the creation of low-fidelity deliverables such as prototypes and proofs of concept, which allow you demonstrate your ideas and objectives in a highly visual way, and provide increased confidence to help secure buy-in.

4. Demonstrate value

The key driver behind any digital transformation project should be to deliver value. If you focus solely on the features you want to be delivered without thinking about how they serve your overall vision, the project is unlikely to deliver the results you’re after. As you define your budget, then, think about the precise reasons why you want to undertake the work you’re planning.

This will not only help you justify your budget by providing specific examples of the benefits you aim to realize that you can reference - for example, streamlined processes, higher revenues, or a larger user base - but will provide a valuable baseline against which you can measure the success of your initiatives, and so inform any future programs of work and their associated budgets.

5. Facilitate agility

If you’re undertaking a digital transformation project, you’re no doubt very aware of the rapid rate of change being driven by technological advances and changing user behaviors. But is your budget also flexible and fluid enough to allow you to capitalize on new trends and market conditions in a timely fashion?

While many organizations have embraced more agile ways of working in their operational processes, the commercial elements of a project typically still follow more traditional approaches and areas such often focused on fixed cost, defined requirements, annual cycles, and allocated spend. It’s clear that a change in mindset is required to deliver the greatest possible value from your digital transformation initiatives - and the following tips explore in more detail some of the ways that this can be achieved.

6. Support change where required

While strict budget plans may offer high levels of predictability, they can seriously impact your ability to respond to change, and so leave you at risk of being overtaken in your digital transformation efforts by nimbler and leaner competitors. However, when introducing increased flexibility you’ll still need to provide the governance required by those allocating budget, who will be unlikely to want to relinquish control altogether.

One way to achieve a balance between these competing demands is to adopt a model that budgets for ‘epics’ (large, overarching projects) while moving the responsibility of more granular decisions away from budget holders towards those with a closer working knowledge of individual initiatives.

The very structure of your budgets can also be adapted, to give you a closer steer to reality. As the rate of change in the digital landscape continues to outpace traditional annual budget cycles, some organizations are choosing to plan two six-month budgets instead - increasing the frequency with which they can assess project deliverables and monitor the market for potential opportunities. This allows the budget to be more quickly reinvested in productive areas, and be halted where value isn’t being realized, to minimize waste and accelerate the rate of returns.

7. Allow for innovation

Another way of supporting change while still keeping budgets under control is to invest in dedicated ‘innovation’ projects. Offering the opportunity to try out new ideas on specific parts of the wider transformation piece, this kind of initiative allow you to prove the business case in a low-risk environment, and get a feel for the challenges and benefits associated with a project before committing significant resource.

You might also want to include a dedicated Research and Development (R&D) line in your budget, using this to explore various opportunities for innovation and disruption outside of the stricter frameworks and processes you may have in place elsewhere. By removing unnecessary overhead you can reap the rewards of increased velocity, and the first-mover status that often comes with this.

8. Keep it going!

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when budgeting for digital transformation is that it isn’t a single, distinct piece of work, but an on-going journey. While you likely won’t (and probably shouldn’t) try to capitalize on each new trend and technology that emerges, you will need to ensure your strategic roadmap aligns with the latest conditions and priorities, and have the necessary resources in place to execute this.

Adopting an iterative approach that encourages continuous improvement can prove extremely beneficial here. By focusing on regular deliveries and short feedback loops, this way of working will provide you with a model that’s ideally suited to the complex and evolutionary nature of digital transformation, which can then be adapted and extended beyond the initial launch to ensure you continue to deliver value at every stage of your journey.

source: smartinsights

COVID-19 sparked an unprecedented global health crisis around the world and ushered us to a ‘new normal’ way of working from home almost overnight. Not all companies were ready to adapt to this unexpected disruption, and business suffered. Many organisations faced massive structural changes and looked at alternative business strategies to sustain themselves through this global pandemic. But there is always an upside to every crisis – innovation leaders such as SAP have introduced innovative solutions specifically designed to help businesses in the post-COVID-19 global economy.

Winning in the new normal

We are a long way from business as usual these days, as many of us juggle work and home responsibilities, having video conferences interrupted by our kids, dogs barking and kitchen appliances whirring in the background. The way we live, work, play and consume has been turned upside down and most changes will not be reverted. According to a new study by Gartner, 74% of CFOs intend to permanently shift employees to remote working after the pandemic. We have been forced to embrace the new ‘future of work’ and we have quickly adapted to this change. But the question remains, how will businesses evolve? Many companies in the Middle East have already embraced the vast potential that a digital world makes possible. CIOs across the region have the vision and the appetite to accelerate digital transformations, tapping into technologies such as Cloud and AI to overcome the crisis we find ourselves in.

Indeed, countries in the Middle East, and particularly the GCC, were early adopters of cloud solutions, which has made it easier for them to quickly embrace the latest innovations. Last year a YouGov survey, conducted by SAP, showed that 88 percent of UAE companies increased their cloud spend in 2019, with 83 percent running partially or entirely on the cloud. It also found that 76 percent of IT decision-makers in the UAE agree that cloud is essential for integrating the benefits from Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, the Internet of Things, and blockchain.

Digitalisation enables new and improved processes and can help companies build resilience to reimagine their business post-COVID-19. In the coming months and years, organisations that can smartly integrate Artificial Intelligence with cloud, the Internet of Things and blockchain will see the biggest business benefit.

Customer experience, revisited

The COVID-19 pandemic has also brought about a renewed focus on enhancing citizen and customer experiences, especially as more services must be delivered remotely. Customer experience is especially important for industries such as banking and finance, retail, supply chain, logistics, and healthcare that need to transform how they engage with customers through digital platforms.

SAP recently held one of the largest technology events in the region, SAP NOW Middle East South, showcasing digital solutions specifically designed to help organisations navigate both the pitfalls and opportunities their business may face during the COVID-19 era and beyond. With over 2,300 registrations, and 600 visitors from the UAE, Oman, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon and Libya, it set a new record for SAP virtual events.

The number of attendees and the level of engagement across different countries and industries were incredible. Executives in the Middle East have always realised the value of digital transformation. The current circumstances have only amplified the need to prioritise it.

SAP’s global flagship conference, SAPPHIRE NOW, was also reimagined to go virtual for the first time. The event usually draws huge crowds every year in Orlando, Florida. Today, technology has transformed this conference into a massive complete digital experience, with over one million views and 200.000 attendees: more than 5 times the reach of the previous on-site version. Attendees could experience innovation through both live and on-demand sessions hosted by SAP leaders, Customers and Partners, as well as guests from some of the world’s leading companies like Porsche and Chobani.

To match customer experience demand and further help companies’ resilience, SAP has opened access to SAP Ariba Discovery for real-time procurement between buyers and sellers to maintain the supply chain. SAP has also opened access to TripIt Pro from Concur to manage safe, easy and changing travel itineraries.

Together with our partners, SAP and Qualtrics continuously collaborate to provide resources to governments around the world as they battle the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. This includes access to resources such as COVID-19 Pre-Screening and Routing, Dynamic Call Center Script, Healthcare Workforce Pulse, and Critical Care Protocol Solution.

In Germany, in less than 50 days of development, together with Deutsche Telecom, SAP published the Corona Warning App downloaded by 8 million citizens in less than 2 days.

Re-evaluating the future of work

COVID-19 jolted organisations into remote working, also necessitating a re-evaluation of skills relevant to rapidly changing technology. An educated and skilled workforce positively impacts the overall development of the economy, making it critical to assess skills gaps accurately and provide the necessary training to fill them.

There is an immediate need to upskill the existing workforce with digital skills as the region continues to transform digitally. According to a recent report by strategy&, the GCC countries will need to fill more than 3 million digital jobs by 2025. Some employers have been encouraging employees to re-examine their skill set and participate in remote trainings and coaching programs. Post-crisis, organisations will likely continue the reskilling trend to develop a workforce with the capabilities needed to anticipate and manage the unexpected.

In this together

Relationships are built when times are good, but they are put to the test when times are tough. SAP lives by its purpose today more than ever: to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. Customers and members of the community will not forget soon gestures of kindness and solidarity during these challenging times.

Considering the pandemic, for example, SAP recently launched TrackYourBed, a responsive, Web-based solution that indicates hospital bed availability in real-time. The company is currently exploring further investments in this and many other ventures as part of the SAP One Billion Lives initiative, a social intrapreneurship program that allows employees to use their skills to make a difference to their communities.

The COVID-19 outbreak has proven that companies can stand together for a common purpose, providing hope in a time of crisis, and opportunity in a time of change. The customer-first imperative must remain the building block for businesses across the region. Coupled with digitalisation, businesses truly have the power to reimagine the customer experience and capitalise on disruption to thrive in the new normal.

source: networkmiddleeast

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow into the UAE jumped over 34 per cent to $14 billion (Dh51.4 billion) in 2019 as compared to $10.4 billion (Dh38.2 billion) in the previous year following major investments by US private equity firms in Abu Dhabi's energy sector.

The UAE surpassed Turkey to become the largest recipient of foreign investment last year in the Middle East and also accounted for half of total investment that flowed into the region in 2019, according to World Investment Report released by UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).

The large increase in FDI to UAE was largely due to major investments made to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) assets.

The US-based asset managers BlackRock and KKR Global Infrastructure acquired a 40 per cent stake in Adnoc's pipeline assets for about $4 billion.

Italy's Eni SpA also acquired a 20 per cent stake in Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company for more than $3 billion.

"Abu Dhabi has supported FDI inflows to the UAE for the past few years with its streamlined procedures and capacity in facilitating megadeals. In 2019, the emirate further strengthened its commitment to foreign investment by launching the Abu Dhabi Investment Office under the Ghadan 21 programme, a broad-based initiative to enhance the commercial ecosystem, including by cultivating an attractive and diversified environment for FDI," Unctad said.

It said the approval of the positive list for FDI in the UAE in April 2020 paves the way for full foreign ownership in many activities and could support investment flows to the country in the longer term.

While FDI outflow from the UAE also moved up slightly last year from $15 billion to $16 billion, an increase of 5.5 per cent.

Regional performance

FDI to Middle East declined by 7 per cent to $28 billion as against $30.1 billion in 2018. Just three countries - the UAE, Turkey and Saudi Arabia - accounted for the majority of inflows in 2019.

FDI inflows into Turkey slumped from $13 billion in 2018 to $8.4 billion last year, slipping into the second position after the UAE.

In the GCC, Saudi Arabia was the second largest recipient of foreign investment, receiving $4.56 billion last year as compared to $4.24 billion in the previous year.

Flows to Saudi Arabia increased for the second consecutive year by a further 7 per cent to $4.6 billion, mainly because of a few large M&A deals.

FDI to Bahrain fell by 43 per cent to below $1 billion in 2019. The main reason was the country's investment profile, which centres on light manufacturing and services, which are more sensitive to global and regional economic headwinds.

Regional outflows

FDI outflows from Middle East contracted significantly, from $50 billion in 2018 to $36 billion in 2019.

In Saudi Arabia, outward investment declined from $23 billion in 2018 to $13 billion, and firms in Kuwait divested $2.5 billion of overseas investments.

Major outward investments announced in 2019 included a $10 billion project by Saudi Aramco to develop oil and gas facilities in China and a $9 billion oil project by Qatar Petroleum to expand its existing facilities in the US, although it is unclear when these projects will be fully realised.

FDI inflow into the Middle East, 2019

UAE: $13,787m

Turkey: $8,434m

Saudi Arabia: $4,562m

Oman: $3,125m

Lebanon: $2,128m

Bahrain: $942m

Jordan: $916m

Kuwait: $104m

Palestine: $176m

Top global countries for FDI inflows, 2019

US: $246B

China: $141B

Singapore: $92B

Netherlands: $84B

Ireland: $78B

Brazil: $72B

Hong Kong: $68B

UK: $59B

India: $51B

Canada: $50B

source: investinabudhab

Doha Bank’s recent webinar discussed Qatar’s initiatives to support entrepreneurship and the private sector and the role of sustainable development in reviving the economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The webinar titled "Sustainable Developments in Qatar" featured experts and high-profile speakers including Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad bin J al-Thani, director, Public Health at the Ministry of Public Health; Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa, CEO, Qatar Development Bank (QDB); Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad al-Thani, managing director (Business Development) at the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), and Rashid bin Ali al-Mansoori, CEO, the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE).

In his concept note, Doha Bank CEO Dr R Seetharaman said, “According to IMF’s April 2020 report, as a result of the pandemic, the global economy is projected to contract sharply by –3% in 2020, much worse than during the 2008–09 financial crisis. According to the OECD June 2020 outlook, if a second outbreak occurs triggering a return to lockdowns, world economic output is forecast to plummet 7.6% this year, before climbing back 2.8% in 2021.

“According to the World Bank forecasts, the global economy will shrink by 5.2% this year. In the WTO April 2020 outlook, world merchandise trade is set to plummet between 13% and 32% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Seetharaman said, “A 2021 recovery in trade is expected, but dependent on the duration of the outbreak and the effectiveness of the policy responses. Growth revival by Qatar in 2021 is expected to be 5% in 2021 which is highest amongst the GCC countries, according to the IMF. Qatar unveiled stimulus packages worth QR75bn for the private sector to help mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Qatar sold $10bn in bonds in tranches of 5, 10, and 30 years in April 2020. Qatar Government’s intiatives will ensure sustainable development amidst Covid-19.”

On QDB's response to the pandemic, al-Khalifa said, “Because of our swift response to the blockade, we had the experience necessary and were fully prepared to effectively respond to any crisis, which is why we were able to respond to the pandemic effectively. Since the outbreak, we have launched several initiatives to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on the private sector ecosystem, as we made strategic decisions that supported SMEs.

“We also listened intently to entrepreneurs’ needs, and prioritised business continuity. QDB is focusing on sustainability in terms of operations as well as communication with entrepreneurs and SMEs across Qatar. Sustainability is a key driver in developing a knowledge-based economy, one of the main pillars of the Qatar National Vision. Private sector institutions should focus on upgrading services and enhancing internal operations to prioritise sustainability. QDB has established a strategy for developing and promoting Qatari products in global markets, securing deals worth more than QR1bn in the first quarter of the year.”

Elaborating on the government's strategy to contain Covid-19, Sheikh Dr Mohamed said: “The rapid spread of Covid-19 across the world, with the absence of vaccine, left governments with little time to respond. Now, Qatar is flattening the curve and from an economic perspective, Qatar is ensuring a rapid but sustainable recovery. Qatar decided carefully to implement a safe and sustainable exit strategy, with continuing of the necessary restrictions on social gatherings, social distancing and use of personal protective equipment.

“In reality, and across the world, easing restrictions is a process of trial and error. In Qatar, we never test out the wrong keys first to find the one that fits. We hold our own key to success: the cross-sectoral collaboration and the informed decisions that shape the future of our nation,” Sheikh Dr Mohamed added.

Al-Mansoori highlighted the QSE's sustainability efforts to support the local economy, and said, “At the Qatar Stock Exchange, we believe we can and should play a significant role in promoting sustainability as an imperative by introducing and supporting initiatives which deal with environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Our listed companies cover a large cross section of the Qatari economy, representing approximately two thirds of total economic output. They are therefore key to setting the sustainability agenda and influencing other sectors and participants within the economy.”

In her remarks, Sheikha Alanoud addressed the importance of Doha Bank's webinar, noting : “I am pleased to have joined such a timely discussion on sustainable developments in Qatar and engage with expert points of view on how these developments are proving critical to the success of the business community during Covid-19. Sustainable development has long been a core pillar of Qatar’s vision in advancing its economy, and it has both shaped our nation as a thriving business hub and our economy as highly resilient in times of crisis and otherwise.

“Qatar’s major infrastructural development scheme is key to our nation’s success in diversifying its economy. Legislative and business reforms continue to shape Qatar as a stimulating business environment. The QFC has achieved QR75bn in total assets under management. The QFC also strengthened its digitalisation processes for firms' incorporation, ensuring that all automated processes are approved swiftly.”

source: m.gulf-times

The Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC) has signed an investment deal with a venture capital fund licensed by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and founded by Osool & Bakheet Investment Company (OBIC) and iMENA Group.

The agreement signing took place virtually between the CEO of SVC, Nabeel Koshak, and OBIC’s CEO, Mazin Al Dawood, through videoconference, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday.

Moreover, the signing was attended by the governor of the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at) and chairman of SVC, Saleh Al Rasheed.

The investment was carried out under the Saudi SVC project of investing in funds programme, which encourages the establishment of venture capital funds that invest in startups during their different stages, which is also one of Monsha’at’s initiatives, Al Rasheed noted.

source: mubasher

The robot offers options for all taste preferences and meal choices

The enterprising owners of a Saudi restaurant have taken health food technology to a futuristic new level — by employing the services of a salad robot.

Customers at RAW.K’s Riyadh eatery are being offered nutritious, fresh, and energizing meals and snacks from a machine utilizing the latest appliance of robotics science.

The hi-tech, healthy fast food option has been introduced in the Kingdom by RAW.K in partnership with the robot’s creator, Chowbotics, a Silicon Valley-based food robotics company that developed the machine as a means to tackle food-service challenges such as speed, freshness, and convenience.

Fahad Al-Humaidan, a cofounder of RAW.K, told Arab News: “Robotics in the food industry is emerging as a tool to provide a better experience to customers as well as solving many pain points of the industry.

“As a fresh food brand that puts freshness and customer preferences as a key driver for the business, RAW.K found Chowbotics to be the best partner to strengthen our offerings by introducing RAW.K robot.”

Sally the Robot, which was rolled out in Saudi under the name RAW.K Robot, uses precision robotics to assemble customizable salads, bowls, and snacks made from up to 22 ingredients such as chicken, tenderloin beef, baby arugula, corn, and fresh peaches.

The robot also offers options for all taste preferences along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal choices. Users can start by selecting from a chef-curated meal or build their own bowl consisting of two bases such as greens or grains, six toppings, and dressings, all of which are replenished daily.

For health-conscious customers or those with strict dietary requirements, the robot provides handy interactive nutrition information that updates as users personalize their meal.

One machine fill can provide 80 to 100 meals and operatives involved in the daily cleaning and replenishment of the stations are given notifications on ingredients’ expiration through a cloud-based dashboard.

source: zawya

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued law No. (4) of 2020 on Saturday, outlining the regulations governing drone activity in Dubai, a statement issued by the Dubai Media Office said.

The law aims to reduce risks associated with drone activity and specifies the duties and responsibilities of relevant authorities. The new law also seeks to help Dubai promote itself as a hub for drone manufacturing, smart transportation and innovation in the sector, and enable public and private entities to use drones and provide drone-related services.

The law applies to the activity of all types of drones across Dubai and its free zones. Drones that are used for military purposes are exempted from this law. However, they should coordinate with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to ensure safety and avoid endangering civil aviation operations.

Rules for flying drones in the emirate were first introduced in 2017.

Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

According to the law, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the law and managing all related operations and activities in line with federal legislations and international treaties and conventions. This also includes monitoring and controlling drone activity in their designated airspace and outlining the conditions and procedures for issuing permits and conducting trials.

The DCAA is also tasked with identifying and approving the designated areas and heights within which the operations and trials of drones can be conducted.

Dubai Air Navigation Services

Dubai Air Navigation Services is tasked with streamlining the activity of drones within Dubai's airspace and demarcating the airspace within which they can operate in order to support Dubai Civil Aviation Authority in monitoring drone activity.

Dubai Air Navigation Services is also tasked with providing air navigation services and air traffic movement and meteorological information to drone operators so that they can operate safely.

Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects

Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects is tasked with setting specifications, standards and conditions for 'Drone Airports' and presenting them to the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority for approval. Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects is also tasked with ensuring the design and plans of 'Drone Airports' are aligned with urban plans and transportation regulations in the city.

Dubai Police

The law tasks Dubai Police with managing all the security aspects of drone activity and coordinating with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to put in place security measures to prevent the illegal use of drones and crimes committed by using drones, as well as measures to deal with the loss of control of drones, especially when they are flying outside their designated areas and not complying with regulations.

Licence for drone activity

According to the law, all drone-related operations require a licence from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. It outlines the conditions for the use of drones and various permitted drone activities including those that are related to government operations, commercial activity, scientific and research activities, leisure, or activities specified by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority's Managing Director.

The DCAA Managing Director is also in charge of listing the permitted categories for drone operations in Dubai. Anyone who possesses a drone should register it with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, in coordination with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, is tasked with outlining the procedures for the use of radio frequencies for drones and their systems and remote-control stations.

As per the law, a permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority is required for developing infrastructure for the operation of drones. The permit will be issued in coordination with the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and other relevant authorities, in accordance with relevant regulations and conditions.

The law prohibits any person from establishing or operating airports for drones or making any modification on such facilities before obtaining a permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. This permit will be issued in coordination with the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and other concerned authorities.

When using airports and airstrips, drone operators must comply with the rules and safety standards set by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

Refueling, power and operational safety certificate

In accordance with the law, a permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority is required to supply drones with fuel or power. This permit will be issued in coordination with the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and other relevant authorities.

Prior to operating drones, its systems and airport strips, operators are required to obtain an operational safety certificate.

Mandatory guidelines for operating drones

The law specifies the guidelines that operators, pilots, supervisors and crew members should comply with including safety requirements and procedures, manufacturer's instructions, and security requirements set by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority in coordination with the Dubai Air Navigation Services and relevant authorities.

Use of airspace

The airspace and areas designated for drones will be determined by the Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. The Dubai Air Navigation Services is responsible for determining the air routes in which drones may fly according to pre-planned and approved procedure set out by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

Controlled airspace and prohibited areas

In accordance with the law, all individuals, other than authorised personnel, are prohibited from operating drones in controlled airspaces designated for civilian or military aircraft.

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority may allow select drone operations in controlled airspace in accordance with specific regulations, provided they do not affect civil aviation.

All individuals are prohibited from operating drones in restricted and dangerous areas.

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority in coordination with Dubai Police may allow government agencies to use drones for security, rescue, firefighting, surveillance or other purposes that are in the public interest.

Drones for public services

Subject to the approval of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, government authorities may use drones for providing public services, control and inspection processes, data collection and statistics, ambulance services, firefighting, traffic monitoring, conducting monitoring required for environmental, health, planning and construction compliance, infrastructure, ports, beaches, sea ports, air surveys, and search and rescue operations, in accordance with the regulations adopted by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

Acts of unlawful interference

According to the law, acts of unlawful interference, which endanger the safety of civil aviation and air transport include illegal seizure of drones, illegal control of their operating systems, any act that is deemed illegal as per regulations, and installation of any weapon, device or dangerous substance or prohibited materials on drones. Any individual who carries out any of these acts is subject to legal action.

Confidentiality and data protection

Anyone who uses a drone must take all necessary measures to avoid violating the privacy of individuals, as well as the privacy of private property and commercial assets and maintain the confidentiality of legally protected data.

Using recording, photography or remote sensing equipment to violate the freedom and privacy of individuals or families, as well as photographing facilities, buildings and restricted or prohibited areas without authorisation from concerned entities, and installing any equipment to collect information and data illegally, are strictly prohibited by law.

Punishments, violations and compensation for damages

Without prejudice to any other legislation, tough penalties including imprisonment and/or fines, could be applied to anyone who endangers the safety and security of the airspace, or designs, manufactures, assembles or modifies drones and its systems, and develops simulation and training systems, or imports or sells drones, parts or systems in the Emirate without permission from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, as well as anyone who operates drones in violation of the provisions of the new law.

Any individual causing damage due to drone operations shall be responsible for damage compensation and removal of the cause of damage during the period determined by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

In case of delay, the Authority is authorised to remove the cause of damage, in addition to charging the person or party responsible for the damage 20 per cent of the cost of removing the damage.

Anyone with a grievance may submit a written appeal to the Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DAA) against the decisions, procedures or measures taken against him or her in accordance with this law, within 30 days of the date of the actions. The grievance will be reviewed within 30 days of its submission by a committee formed by the Director General of the Authority.

Apart from decisions made by the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai in accordance with the provisions of this law, the Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority shall issue the decisions required to implement the provisions of this law. Any provisions of other legislations that conflict with or contradict the provisions of the new law shall be considered void.

The law will be published in the Official Gazette and is effective from the date of its publication.

source: khaleejtimes

أعلنت دائرة أبو ظبي للتنمية الاقتصادية في 2 يوليو/تموز عزمها تنفيذ مشروع "ائتلاف المشاريع الناشئة الصغيرة والمتوسطة" وذلك بالتعاون مع أكثر من 40 جهة حكومية وبمشاركة من الحكومة الاتحادية والفعاليات الاقتصادية في القطاع الخاص.

مشروع استراتيجي وأهداف طموحة

تأتي أهداف المشروع بحسب رئيس دائرة التنمية الاقتصادية السيد محمد علي الشرفاء، لتسهيل التبادل المعرفي  والابتكار ودعم وتعزيز التنافسية للشركات الناشئة الصغيرة والمتوسطة حيث يركز المشروع على الشركات الناشطة في المجالات التي تتطلب مهارات عالية لاسيما في قطاعات الرعاية الصحية وتقنية المعلومات والحلول المبتكرة. كما يستهدف المشروع دعم رواد أعمال المشاريع الصغيرة والمتوسطة بناءً على تقييم ودراسة وضعها الحالي، إستناداً إلى التجارب الدولية في هذا المجال.

وعد رئيس دائرة التنمية الاقتصادية هذا المشروع "مشروعاً استراتيجياً" يأتي في إطار حرص حكومة أبوظبي على تعزيز وتمكين دور الشركات الناشئة الصغيرة والمتوسطة للمساهمة الفاعلة في الناتج المحلي الإجمالي لإمارة أبوظبي معتبراً بأن قطاع الشركات الناشئة الصغيرة والمتوسطة محرك أساسي للنمو الاقتصادي للإمارة ودولة الإمارات بشكل عام، ويأتي تعزيز قدرته التنافسية ودعم منظومة الابتكار في أعماله هدفاً استراتيجياً لتحقيق رؤية قيادة حكومة دولة الإمارات للخمسين عاماً المقبلة.

تحديد للأدوات والوسائل وتعيين لجان

وفي إطار تنفيذ المشروع، حددت دائرة التنمية الاقتصادية الأدوات والوسائل لتمكين تحقيق أهداف المشروع، ويأتي أهمها: إنشاء منصة رقمية، تنظيم ورش عمل، وإعداد برامج ريادة الأعمال، بالإضافة إلى إقامة دورات تدريب وتأهيل وإعداد الدراسات الاستقصائية والتحليلية وعقد جلسات نقاش مفتوحة مع أصحاب المشاريع والجهات الحكومية الداعمة.

كما حددت الدائرة عدداً من اللجان المعنية بتحقيق أهداف المشروع وهي: اللجنة التوجيهية لاتخاذ القرارات ووضع السياسات الداعمة، اللجنة الاستشارية المكونة من فريق متخصص يشرف على آليات العمل بين جميع الأطراف المعنية، ولجنة التعاون المكونة من قادة وفرق العمل مهمتها الإشراف على التنفيذ، ومكتب الدعم الخاص بمبادرة دائرة التنمية الاقتصادية في أبوظبي.

موقع المشاريع الصغيرة والمتوسطة ومساهمتها في اقتصاد أبوظبي

تشير بيانات مركز إحصاء أبوظبي إلى أن إجمالي أعداد المشاريع متناهية الصغر والصغيرة والمتوسطة في إمارة أبو ظبي تبلغ 54 ألفاً و234 منشأة وتمثل نحو 92% من إجمالي الشركات المسجلة في دائرة أبوظبي، فيما تبلغ القيمة الإجمالية لإنتاجها حوالي الـ 324 ملياراً و741 مليوناً و88 ألف درهماً، بنسبة مساهمة تبلغ حوالي الـ 34% من إجمالي الناتج المحلي لإمارة أبوظبي، وذلك بحسب إحصاءات عام 2018.

تتنوع أنشطة المشاريع الناشئة والصغيرة والمتوسطة والكبيرة ما بين التعدين واستثمار المحاجر والصناعات التحويلية ومشاريع إمدادات الطاقة والقطاع الصحي والنقل بالإضافة إلى نشاطها في قطاع المعلومات والاتصالات والتكنولوجيا المالية والتأمين والعقارات وأنشطة أخرى.

   وتشهد إمارة أبو ظبي في الأعوام السابقة اهتماماً كبيراً من الجانب الحكومي للمشاريع الناشئة والمشاريع الصغيرة والمتوسط، ومن ضمن ذلك إطلاق غرفة تجارة وصناعة أبو ظبي جائزة "المنشآت الصغيرة والمتوسطة" في عام 2018، بالإضافة إلى عدد كبير من مبادرات التمويل والتدريب والتأهيل لأصحاب المنشآت الصغيرة والمتوسطة، ويأتي هذا في إطار الخطة الحكومية الرامية إلى تنويع الاقتصاد الإماراتي والتقليل من اعتماده على الواردات النفطية وتحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة.

Dubai, UAE- The Islamic Development Bank Group in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Economy and Annual Investment Meeting, will conduct a live webinar entitled “IsDB Group Private Sector Action Response to COVID-19” on the 6^th of July at 01:00 PM (KSA Time) to discuss the challenges facing the private sector and global economy during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The live session will also present the immediate joint action response of the IsDB Group Private Sector Entities namely, the Islamic Corporation for Insurance of Investments and Export Credits (ICIEC), Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), in order to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

The webinar will discuss the future outlook to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the webinar will highlight the IsDB Group’s US$2.3 billion Strategic Preparedness and Response Programme for COVID-19 under its 3Rs approach “Respond, Restore and Restart”.

The keynote speakers who will share their in-depth perspectives in the webinar are Mr. Ousama Kaissi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC); Mr. Ayman Sejiny, the CEO & General Manager of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, the Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and Ms. Cornelia Meyer, the Chairman & CEO of Meyer Resources.

Mr. Ousama Kaissi, the Chief Executive Officer of The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) and one of the keynote speakers in the webinar, stated: “While the disruption to global trade and investment flows is unavoidable due to the unprecedented nature of the coronavirus pandemic, it is essential that institutions with the mandate and means to stabilize the trade ecosystem during the crisis heighten their efforts to do so.

ICIEC is honoured to be a part of this webinar with the UAE Ministry of Economy and our IsDB Group peers in order to share how we are employing our multilateral insurance solutions toward the collective recovery of member countries.”

“The private sector can play a pivotal and proactive role to close funding gaps in the COVID-19 response. It is capable to minimize short-term risks to employees and long-term costs to businesses and the economy as a whole. ICD will work closely with 100+ local and regional financial institutions in its network to provide necessary support so they can continue to fund private sector, particularly SMEs in affected sectors within the markets they operate in” stated Mr. Ayman Sejiny, the CEO of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), and one of the keynote speakers in the webinar.

Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, the Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and one of the keynote speakers in the webinar, stated: “Since the outbreak of the pandemic, ITFC has moved quickly to put in place emergency financing measures to ensure that member countries continue to receive the support needed.

Our COVID-19 ‘Rapid Response Initiative’ (RRI) has made US$ 300 million immediately available.

This has facilitated the immediate access to medical equipment, the supply of staple foods and critical energy needs. Continuing to work closely with IsDB and partners, ITFC is moving forward with its Recovery Response Plan (RRP) with the provision of US$550 million for deployment over the next two years.

The RRP is aimed at fixing the socio-economic damage which is expected to last longer than immediate impact of the virus; including the provision of lines of financing to fund the private sector and SMEs.”

“It is a great privilege to be in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Economy and Islamic Development Bank Group in organizing this live webinar session that will tackle the major challenges currently being confronted by the private sector and the global economy as a whole,” Mr. Walid A. Farghal, Director General of the Annual Investment Meeting mentioned.

“The private sector is indispensable to economic growth. In fact, it contributes up to 90 per cent of employment and provides over 80 per cent of government revenues in developing countries. Thus, it is essential to highlight this huge initiative by the IsDB Group that enables the sectors adversely affected by COVID-19 to continue their business activities,” he furthered.

During the webinar, 3 online initiatives will be launched jointly by IsDB Group Private Sector Entities and AIM.

These initiatives will support the private sector, trade and exports in OIC member countries and will be focusing on:

• Digital Country Presentations: to promote and showcase the investment and trade opportunities in OIC member countries which will serve as a virtual gathering and strategic innovative platform to support the investors, government agencies, private institutions, investment promotion agencies to discuss the best possible means to attract FDI.
• Startups Virtual Pitch Competition: to connect Startups globally and support them in meeting potential partners and investors from other parts of the world.
• MADE IN…..SERIES: this digital platform is open to all SMEs who want to showcase and present their local products, project and services to international audience.

The webinar will gather more than 700 participants from multiple sectors across the globe such as government officials, Chairmen, Presidents & CEOs of local and international companies, multilateral and financial institutions, Chambers of Commerce & Industry, business associations, investment promotion agencies, individual investors, and entrepreneurs.