Call for better focus on national talent to help UAE become Arabic media leader

Noura Al Kaabi, chief executive officer of twofour54, highlights the importance of creating new job opportunities for nationals.

Noura Al Kaabi, right, CEO of twofour54, discusses emiritisation strategies at a media round table. Courtesy twofour54

ABU DHABI // More focus on national and regional resources is required to help the UAE become one of the top producers of Arabic media, said the head of Abu Dhabi’s media zone, twofour54.

The improvement of Arabic media is part of the capital's economic vision of 2030 to develop other sectors and move further away from reliance on oil revenues, said Noura Al Kaabi, the chief executive.

“Building a media sector will directly and indirectly help the economy, and we will be able to meet media objectives.”

Developing an entertainment industry, acquiring creative entrepreneurs and generating jobs for Emirati youth will all lead to Abu Dhabi becoming the media hub of the region, she added.

Twofour54 also looks to change the Emirati stereotype of the media sector by attracting young nationals to work in a variety of roles including in the development of print and television projects, digital media, filmmaking, animation and electronic gaming. Currently, 43 per cent of the company’s employees are Emirati.

Emiratisation is a priority to the company, said Miss Al Kaabi. By bolstering the local workforce, the company would ensure the flow of skilled national applicants into the market. Twofour54 also aims to provide an attractive environment for young inventors.

“The day will come soon when Emiratis will be the employees of choice in the media sector, as they are the most capable of recognising the needs of their countrymen,” she said.

Miss Al Kaabi said the company tried to create jobs that were both unusual and hard to find, to keep young Emiratis interested. Some of the positions created include those in animation, game production and interactive coding.

“Creating jobs that were unavailable five years ago have positive results. We now have developments in the company,” she said.

“Long ago, technology positions weren’t needed. Talented people had to seek other fields. Now we train them and give them jobs.”

On a larger scale, Ms Al Kaabi said there was also a need for greater support systems for Arabic-language projects.

To develop Arabic media and entertainment, it was important to promote Arabic studies and initiatives, she added, which could be offered via training sessions at twofour54.

“If the media market is growing then we can say media is developing,” said Miss Al Kaabi.

In support of this, twofour54 provides training courses for more than 650 Emiratis in writing, public speaking, and media communication skills.

Almost half – 46 per cent – of trainees at the training academy Tadreeb are Emirati. One third of these trainees are with Cartoon Network's Animation Academy while the rest are working within the Gaming Academy in partnership with Ubisoft.

Twofour54 also offers a year-long traineeship in TV production titled Intaji – my production – for Emiratis.