ADGM Academy, ADDA and ADSG partner to drive Abu Dhabi's digital transformation

The government entities will curate and execute a series of certified digital skills programmes for UAE nationals

The number of technology start-ups based at Abu Dhabi Global Markets has grown by 80 per cent this year, the financial free zone's chairman Ahmed Al Sayegh told the FinTech Abu Dhabi event. Alamy

Abu Dhabi Global Market Academy, the education arm of the UAE capital's financial free zone, joined forces with the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (Adda) and Abu Dhabi School of Government (ADSG) to further develop the emirate’s digital capabilities through various initiatives.

The three government entities will “curate and execute a series of certified digital skills programmes”, in accordance with Abu Dhabi’s digital literacy strategy, they said in a statement on Sunday.

“Outcomes of this partnership will aid in shaping an increasingly digitally savvy and technologically privy generation of professionals … ultimately enabling Abu Dhabi to realise an agile and resilient digital future,” Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, ADGM’s chief operating officer and managing director of the academy, said.

The new agreement will see the authorities define skill set requirements as part of Abu Dhabi’s digital literacy strategy. They will also do a skill gap analysis to construct individual development plans and digital skills training programmes for UAE nationals.

"We are pleased to be part of this agreement that aims to empower Abu Dhabi government entities’ employees and develop their digital skill sets,” Mohamed Abdel Hameed Al-Askar, director general of the Adda, said.

“Our participation in this initiative was motivated not only because of its direct benefits for the government entities’ employees, but also due to its positive implications that foster a vibrant digital society in Abu Dhabi,” he added.

In June, Adda signed an agreement with America's biggest chip maker, Intel, to speed up digital transformation in the emirate.

In October last year, it also signed an agreement with US company Hewlett Packard Enterprise to accelerate the execution of data management programmes. It later unveiled a new data management programme, which falls within an open data initiative launched under Ghadan 21.

“This partnership is a path to achieving the vision of our wise leadership,” Nama Salmeen Alameri, dean of ADSG, said.

“Ensuring that all public sector employees are equipped with the necessary knowledge of the latest digital concepts is essential to realising our vision, as well as supporting Abu Dhabi’s transition to knowledge-based economy and society,” she added.