Hamdan bin Mohammed meets graduates of ‘One Million Arab Coders’

Tuesday, November 06, 2018

Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has affirmed the importance of empowering and equipping Arab youth with technological tools and expertise to prepare them for the challenges of the future, a goal that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai emphasised as part of Dubai’s vision of becoming a magnet for innovation and entrepreneurship.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed’s remarks came during a visit to AREA 2071 at Emirates Towers, where the Dubai Future Foundation held an open day event to help graduates of the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative find jobs.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed stressed the importance of translating initiatives into opportunities to help advance human capabilities, which are central to community development. In this context, the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative sets an example in advancing investments in human capital by giving the youth a chance to learn the language of the future.

Accompanying Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on his visit were Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation HE Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi; Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation HE Omar bin Sultan Al Olama; Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai HE Abdullah Mohammed Al Basti, and Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation Khalfan Belhoul.

During his visit, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed met with a group of Arab programmers who were honoured by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the annual graduation ceremony of the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed praised the active participation of government and private entities in the open day held at AREA 2071 by providing job opportunities in programming, IT, and data management.

The event was held in cooperation with a number of government and private entities such as the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, The Executive Office – Dubai, World Government Summit, Department of Economic Development of Dubai, Emirates NBD, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du), Emirates Airlines, Dubai Health Authority, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai, Hussain Sajwani - DAMAC Foundation, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Bayt.com, and Careem.

More than 375,000 individuals registered for the first edition of the initiative, which seeks to train 1 million Arab coders over the next three years. Over 22,000 people from 150 countries around the world completed the programme this year. About 3,600 tutors from large companies around the world are involved in the initiative which features 1.5 million training hours.

The ‘One Million Arab Coders’ is an initiative under the umbrella of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives that seeks to train one million young Arabs in computer programming, in order to empower and equip them with the technological tools and expertise required to face the challenges of the future.