UAE- Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development bolsters emiratisation, enterprises 

(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM)) Country. "Supporting the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, and encouraging creativity and directing the youths to entrepreneurship are Khalifa Fund's main priorities. Therefore, the Fund organised many awareness campaigns targeting to spread the knowledge of entrepreneurship and urge different society level especially the youths and university studies for innovation, said Al Nowais.

"In this content, the Fund organised and participated during last year in about 115 awareness sessions in different Emirates, which leads to increase the sessions organized by the Fund to more than 200 sessions." He noted the Khalifa Fund was able to organise 40 commercial contracts for its supported projects with a total amount of Dh37 million as part of the obligation of the government and semi government entities towards the Fund's applicants.

Al Nowais encourages the governmental, semi-government and the big national companies to support the small and medium sized enterprises supported by Khalifa Fund by signing contracts with them or giving them part of its annual purchasing, which will lead to strength its experience and will participate in its growth which all will lead to the benefit of the national economy.

"The Fund gave big attention last year to strength the business environment and to support the projects supported by the Fund to grow and to increase its competitive ability. Therefore, it signed 7 new memorandum of understanding with different governmental authorities and organizations in order to give those projects the priority for purchasing and enter tenders and to have more facilities and exceptions. The number of memorandum of understanding and agreements signed with other entities increased by end of the year to 24 agreements which all targeted to improve the business environment and grant its suitability", added Al Nowais.

He noted that the Fund organised the participation of in six international exhibitions that took place in China, Malaysia and France in addition to the national exhibitions which took place in different Emirates, the target of those participation is to give chance to the projects funded by us to explore to the international markets and to market its products and services which will guarantee its development and growth.

Khalifa Fund and during 2012 continues its efforts to achieve the social initiatives which targeted special social groups and have a social impact plus its investment one. The big success achieved by Sougha initiative which was launched two years back in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority as a social and economic initiative has achieved many of its plans.

In addition to that, the Fund organised many training sessions in weaving, sewing and embroidery in different Emirates especially the western region of Abu Dhabi such as Ghayathi, Silla, Ruwais, Madinat Zayed and Liwa in which 300 female emiratis benefited from. The Fund was also able to create a motivation for the youth to join this initiative which leads to move many of the traditional old products to modern and stylish products. The total amount of ladies sales benefited by Sougha at end of 2012 was above one million.

The activation of "Al Hasela" programme which targeted the Emiratis working in fishing in order to contribute in improving and developing the fishermen skills and to spirit the entrepreneurship culture in managing and expanding their activities.

Al Hasela programme is targeting the junior fishermen in order to renew their boats and to increase its efficiency in addition to give the chance for the fishermen who are nominated by the fishermen society to benefit from the services of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development through training and preparing them in the field of entrepreneurship and to provide them with consultation and financial support. The total funds for Al Hasela programme at the end of 2012 with total amount of Dh0.85 million.

The other social programmes which were launched earlier are moving positively as was planned initially. The achievement done by Khalifa Fund in association with Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs through Amal Program which targeting the special needs.

The Fund gave a financial donation with a mount of Dh4 million for Aquaponics Project to produce vegetables and fishes which benefited 40 Emiratis with special needs. That is because Khalifa Fund is very keen to contribute in different faces of the social development and to work forward to achieve the benefit and improvement of the local society. Khalifa Fund is working hard to expand its services to cover different society segments and to improve its services to suit the circumstance of different society level.

With regards of the Emiratisation efforts; "Khalifa Fund implements a policy based on keeping a growing rhythm of Emiratisation by attracting the talented qualified emirati manpower, as the percentage of the emirati employees reached 61 per cent from the total number of Khalifa Fund's employees. During 2012 the recruitment percentage of the emiratis reached 61.5 per cent in different specialties. As the emirati employees entered new sectors with technical background such as business counselors and specialists in credit dept, where all those jobs used to be mainly for the expats.

"During 2012, 16 emirates were recruited in different departments within Khalifa Fund with increase of 22.5 per cent of the emirates employees by end of 2011, as the Fund managed to recruit up to 51.3 per cent in the managerial level", said Al Nowais.