DET and Amazon join forces to empower Dubai’s small and medium enterprises on a global scale.
PC: Zawya
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism has partnered with Amazon UAE to provide the ‘DET x Amazon Accelerator’, a strategic program designed to speed up the growth of SMEs in Dubai. This is a development program to enhance the competitiveness of Dubai’s SMEs on an international level, geared towards providing the latest digital tools and resources in addition to mentorship support in facilitating the process of digital transformation and further expansion in global markets.
A Component of Dubai’s Economic Agenda
DET x Amazon Accelerator is one of the initiatives under the Dubai Traders initiative-an important one of ten transformative projects announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai-under the vision of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33. This would position Dubai as the hub for entrepreneurship and SME growth by encouraging strategic partnerships with such companies as Amazon and digital solution providers for facilitating the expansion of SMEs into the digital space.
The key takeaways of the Dubai Traders initiative are digitization of supply chain processes, build-out online retail presence, and ease of international access through the market to Dubai-based SMEs. It would allow small and medium-sized enterprises to create robust digital foundations, scale their businesses, and reach a wider global customer base.
Signing Ceremony and Leadership Involvement
The Memorandum of Understanding to initiate the Accelerator was signed in the presence of H.E. Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey. Hadi Badri, CEO of Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), and Jasmin Frick, Director of Seller Success at Amazon MENA, also witnessed the signing.
This collaboration between DET and Amazon UAE would best be seen as a testament to the efficient synergy between government bodies and the private sector, where both work towards a common goal: to boost the SMEs in Dubai and enable them to thrive in a world of stiff competitiveness.
Six Pillars of the Accelerator Program
The ‘DET x Amazon Accelerator’ will focus on six core pillars aimed to provide SMEs with tools to grow their business, increase discoverability, and expand geographically. These pillars include:
1. Global Reach: It shall give entrants access to Amazon’s vast global network. It thus means that, out of their GCC base in Dubai, they will be able to access new geographic markets and run an increasingly larger-scale operation than they would if they were strictly based within the UAE.
2. Digital Upskilling: Amazon UAE would offer customised training sessions to facilitate the reskilling of SMEs. The training would enable SMEs to adopt the most effective use of Amazon’s proprietary tools and strategy so that SMEs can benefit from every advantage that would position them strongly on Amazon.ae and propel rapid growth.
3. Tailored Expertise: SMEs will get customised services from Amazon UAE’s trusted service providers. This support will help them achieve the potential growth by availing the various services and tools of Amazon, namely, account registration, Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon Advertising, and Brand Registry.
4. Enhanced Visibility: Businesses participating in the accelerator programme would also receive an Amazon UAE earmarked “Shop Local” store. This would bring much-needed focus on the local businesses, particularly during big sales events, and get people to shop more from local UAE-based merchants.
5. Marketing Support: Amazon will provide ads credits to participants solely to assist them in running strong marketing campaigns and target a much bigger audience.
6. Collaborative Spirit: Dubai’s accelerator embodies the collaborative spirit of public-private partnerships and how a government initiative can align with global private sector expertise that supports growth for SMEs.
Powering Success for Dubai’s SMEs
Tapping into 25 years of Amazon’s global experience, ‘DET x Amazon Accelerator’ will equip Dubai’s SMEs with the tools and resources needed to be a player in the game internationally. Designed to accelerate their digital transformation, it gives them an easier route toward building a strong e-presence and simplifying business operations with access to international markets.
As such, this cooperation is expected to greatly contribute to making Dubai a leading destination in terms of entrepreneurship and growth of SMEs according to the economic agenda of Dubai. In such collaboration, SMEs in Dubai will have excellent opportunities in the face of a highly competitive global economy and, therefore, be the manifestation of a city attuned to innovation and business excellence.
The DET partnership with Amazon UAE underscores the strong need for SMEs to absorb digital transformation into their growth strategies in order to grow more competitive and agile within a market that is becoming ever more digital. With mentoring, the tools of digital advancement, and access to the very extensive global platform of Amazon, the program shall aim to position Dubai-based businesses as key actors on the international playing field.
