Abu Dhabi, April 15, 2018 (WAM)
Lieutenant General H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, and Supreme President of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, today inaugurated the second edition of the Digital Economy Conference, which is being held at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre over two days.
On the sidelines of the conference, His Highness received the Honorary Presidency Shield of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy from His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Al Rabie, Secretary-General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity. This recognition is in recognition of the UAE’s role in supporting joint Arab action, particularly in the economic and technological fields, and His Highness’s role in contributing to the success of the Council’s initiatives, particularly the Arab Federation for E-Commerce.
His Highness toured the accompanying exhibition held on the sidelines of the conference and viewed some of the exhibits, modern technologies, and the latest technological developments in the field of e-commerce.
The Council of Arab Economic Unity announced its intention to prepare and mobilize Arab capabilities and international expertise to develop a joint Arab strategic vision. It will organize an international conference to discuss this strategic vision, in preparation for presenting it to Arab leaders during the Arab League summit meetings.
The Council of Arab Economic Unity at the League of Arab States is keen to hold the conference in the UAE, affirming the UAE’s leading role and its interest in joint Arab action, particularly in the economic fields and modern technological applications. The Council is organizing this important economic event as a strategic partner of the Seamless Middle East International Exhibition.
This year’s conference will witness a significant international presence, with keynote speakers from international entities such as the United Nations and the European Union, experts and ministers from Arab and African countries, and significant participation from major international companies specializing in financial and technological fields.
This year’s event was distinguished by its large attendance of interested parties and specialists, with the number of visitors estimated at more than 20,000 from the UAE and other countries in the region.
His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed Al-Rabee’, Secretary-General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, emphasized the importance of holding this conference in the United Arab Emirates. He said, “In light of the major global transformation in the areas of digital economy implementation, the components of which have emerged on the global economic scene over the past five years under the major global theme of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by a set of ultra-modern technologies that are expected to radically contribute to changing the nature of human life on the planet, in pursuit of better management of natural resources, achieving a set of global and societal goals, and achieving happiness, comfort, security, and human development…” He added, “A quick look reveals that the steady development in the field of computer capabilities and the growing capabilities of communications networks have become a major player influencing these global changes and a fundamental cause of them, as these developments drive each other in an interconnected, integrated manner.”
Al-Rabee’ continued, “The observer will not fail to notice the haste of most governments and business institutions to adopt these concepts and lead strategic projects for digital transformation, as they have allocated leadership and political momentum and billions of investments to these transformations. This places significant weight on the need for the institutions affiliated with the Arab League, especially those represented in the specialized unions affiliated with the Council, to enter this field.” Arab Economic Unity is working to ensure Arab harmony and a unified vision to achieve the greatest benefit from the digital economic world.” For his part, His Excellency Dr. Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Federation for E-Commerce, pointed out that the Council of Arab Economic Unity and its institutions working in the fields of advanced technology and the digital economy seek to activate joint Arab cooperation, unify efforts, and direct them toward a set of key objectives that are hoped to contribute to a positive impact on Arab citizens and raise the quality of life in the Arab region, enabling it to compete and participate in global civilization.
Al-Khouri said: “Our goals are based on a set of axes, including supporting Arab government plans for digital inclusion and supporting the development of knowledge, legislative, and technological infrastructure, respectively. We also seek to support public and private business systems for electronic transformation, while evaluating all emerging developments on the global digital economy scene and presenting a vision that anticipates and prepares for the future.”
He added, “To achieve these goals, we must work to establish a group of joint Arab initiatives in the form of specialized unions or specialized Arab organizations that can communicate with official Arab entities and the private sector to empower them with sufficient resources and support to implement certain initiatives and projects, which, when integrated, will achieve the overall Arab economic goals.” The opening session included a welcoming speech by His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Al-Rabee’, Secretary-General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, followed by a lecture on artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, and identifying future technologies for industries presented by Greg Williams, President of Wired magazine. An interview with Ronaldo Mouchawar, CEO and co-founder of Souq.com, was followed by a working paper titled “Approaching E-Commerce and Retail” presented by Paul Coby, CEO of Information Technology. Abdul Aziz Al Hammadi, Senior Marketing Manager at Dubai Commerce, followed by a working paper titled “Welcome to the Future of Business.” The conference’s first day will include several working papers on e-retailing, e-commerce, mobile phones, payments, and transaction processing, driving the transition to a cashless future, platforms for change in e-commerce, and ways to invest in modern software for e-commerce.
Participating in the conference are a select group of economists and experts in the fields of digital economy and e-commerce, including Stephen Holbrook, member of the Executive Council; Kamal Osman Jamjoom; Mohammed Sajjad, Director of e-commerce /EXTRA; Khaled Adawi, Director of the Arabian Peninsula at Procter & Gamble; Ahmed Galal Ismail, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Enterprises; Ramesh Cidambi, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Duty Free; and Jean-Francois Cordon, Vice President of Mi9 Retail.
Also participating on the first day are Alper Celin, CEO and Co-Founder of JOI; Murad Arslan, Founder of Mdltoo; Amjad Sanad, Head of E-Commerce at Al Faisaliah Group – Sony Modern Electronics; Amira Rashad, CEO and Co-Founder of Bulkwhiz; Johan van Tonder, author of E-Commerce Website Optimization; and Ali Avci, Managing Director of the Middle East and North Africa. Stephane Barwis, CEO of Azure Digital; Sarah Jones, CEO of sprii.com; Olujibem Yulashayev, CEO and Founder of awok.com; Serbakant Cheltür, Head of E-Commerce Operations at Landmark Group; Alex Perez, Director of Strategic Partnerships at what3words; Chris Folayan, CEO and Founder of Malloftheworld.com; Hisham Al Bahar, CEO of Posta Plus Group; and Roland Martin, Global Markets Director of E-Retail at Swisslog Logistics Automation – ML
