Mohammed bin Saud honours Sharjah Public Finance Award winners
The event witnessed the presence of ministers, undersecretaries, directors general of the winning Arab government entities, senior officials from local departments, representatives from the UAE's financial sector, participants from various Arab countries, and the award's valued partners and sponsors.
The ceremony opened with the UAE national anthem, followed by a recitation from the Holy Quran. Attendees then viewed an introductory video showcasing the award's objectives, developmental milestones, and its growing regional impact across the Arab world.
Financial excellence: A development imperative
In his opening address, His Excellency Salem Youssef Al Qaseer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, stated: 'What we are witnessing today is not merely a recognition ceremony, but a reflection of the Arab region's growing institutional maturity. Financial excellence is no longer a luxury—it is a developmental necessity and a tool for shaping the future. Today, we celebrate exceptional achievements and visionary Arab professionals who are setting a new standard in public finance—anchored in efficiency, transparency, accountability, and continuous innovation.'
He further noted that the third edition of the award saw robust participation from 11 Arab countries—including Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, Kuwait, Morocco, Yemen, Mauritania, and Oman—as well as UAE federal and local entities from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah. Their initiatives reflected genuine efforts to enhance public financial performance and adopt governance and sustainability best practices.
Al Qaseer emphasized that the true value of the award lies not only in winning but in the institutional transformation it fosters—encouraging entities to review internal systems, enhance financial tools, and improve spending efficiency.
Sharjah's vision for regional financial governance
His Excellency Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Secretary-General of the Award and Director of the Sharjah Finance Department, affirmed during his speech: 'Since its inception, the award has carried a noble message: to promote excellence and instill a culture of innovation in public financial management across the Arab world, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.'
He added that the award's general secretariat has embraced this strategic vision by developing a comprehensive operational framework—starting with submission and screening, through to evaluation in partnership with the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO)—based on strict transparency and objectivity criteria.
He highlighted a major development in the third edition: the introduction of six new categories, bringing the total to 22 categories (11 institutional and 11 individual), reflecting the growing scope of the award and its alignment with the evolving needs of public financial institutions and professionals.
A unified Arab vision for financial excellence
Speaking on behalf of the Arab Administrative Development Organization, His Excellency Dr Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director General of ARADO and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, described the award as a powerful model of unified Arab intent to strengthen public financial governance.
'This strategic partnership with the award reinforces our joint mission to equip Arab governments with tools of excellence and sustainable development, aligned with global best practices and regional contexts,' he said.
Dr Al Qahtani noted the award's role in fostering positive competition, embedding a culture of quality, and encouraging innovation in financial planning and resource management. He commended the third edition's submissions for their analytical depth, geographic diversity, and pioneering spirit.
Honouring the winners
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud Al Qasimi honoured a wide array of institutional and individual winners during the ceremony.
Among the Institutional Awards, the "Outstanding Public Finance Entity" award was presented to Al Ain Municipality (UAE) and Greater Amman Municipality (Jordan). Dubai Police (UAE) received the award for "Outstanding Financial Systems & Applications." The "Outstanding Financial Project Management" award went to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Saudi Arabia) and the Directorate of Financial Affairs, Ministry of Education (Iraq). The Federal Tax Authority (UAE) was recognised for "Innovation in Public Finance," while the General Financial Control Authority, Ministry of Finance (Tunisia), received the award for "Financial Control & Risk Management."
Dubai Department of Finance (UAE) and the Ministry of Finance (Kuwait) were honoured for "Financial Service Delivery." The "Procurement & Contracts Management" award was given to Ras Al Khaimah Police (UAE). The Ministry of Finance (UAE) won for "Cash & Sovereign Funds Management," and the National Social Insurance Authority (Egypt) was awarded for "Social Security Fund Management." The "Financial Sustainability" award went to the New and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Egypt).
In the Individual Awards, the "Outstanding Arab Financial Sector Leader" award was presented to Mohammed bin Abdul Latif Al Huzami (Saudi Arabia), Anwar Abdel Jabbar (Palestine), and Jalal Hamimo (Morocco). The "Outstanding Arab CFO" award went to Nouf Al-Fuhaidi (Qatar), Amina Al-Shamsi (UAE), and Amina Al-Enzan (Qatar).
The "Outstanding Financial Expert" award was granted to Noufel Al-Nasri (Morocco), Moaz Al-Saliti (Tunisia), and Haitham Al-Aqrabawi (UAE). Recognised as "Outstanding Financial Researchers" were Mohammed Adnan Zaid (Palestine), Al-Hassan Kotb Abdel Rahman (Egypt), and Mohammed Abragh (Morocco).
In the category of "Outstanding Budget Director," winners included Hassan Bosna (Saudi Arabia), Salem Al-Abdulrazzaq (Kuwait), and Zuhair Rahmouni (Tunisia). Saida Qaddoumi (UAE) received the award for "Outstanding Tax Director."
The "Outstanding Accounts Manager" award went to Nermine Mohamed (Palestine), Dr. Heba Sabir (Egypt), and Dr. Hanan Abu El-Maati (Egypt). Honoured as "Outstanding Financial Systems Managers" were Ahmed Al-Jawadeh (Jordan), Amina bin Lutah (UAE), and Hazem Riyad (Palestine).
The "Outstanding Procurement & Contracts Manager" award was given to Sulaiman Abdullah (UAE), Mohamed Hosni Mustafa (Palestine), and Mona Al-Maadawi (Egypt). Amina Al-Mandous (UAE), Hussein Al-Abdoli (Dubai), and Alaa Al-Khatib (Jordan) received the award for "Outstanding Section Head / Mid-level Leader."
The "Outstanding Financial Auditor" award was presented to Nazem Qeiza (Tunisia), Sabira Nasib (Egypt), and Yazan Al-Shubailat (Jordan). Finally, the "Outstanding Financial Accountant" award went to Areej Tayseer Taim (Jordan), Mohamed Yousry Khalifa (Egypt), and Amina Al-Balushi (Dubai).
A regional platform for financial governance excellence
Launched in 2018, the Sharjah Public Finance Award is a pioneering Arab initiative that aims to foster a culture of excellence in public sector financial management. It seeks to create a unified Arab identity in financial governance—rooted in transparency, efficiency, and innovation.
As a leading Arab award in its field, it champions the adoption of high-performance standards in public finance, promotes best practices, and supports institutional transformation across the Arab world through a rigorous, transparent, and impartial evaluation framework.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hi Dubai
21 hours ago
- Hi Dubai
MBRF and Bibliotheca Alexandrina Partner to Boost Arab Knowledge Access
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) and Egypt's Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance knowledge accessibility, particularly for people with disabilities, through innovative joint projects. The agreement, formalized by MBRF CEO Jamal bin Huwaireb and BA Director Dr. Ahmed Zayed, focuses on creating DAISY-format digital talking books to support visually impaired individuals. It also includes plans for joint training, expertise exchange in library science, and organizing cultural and knowledge-based events. Signed in Dubai, the MoU underscores both institutions' commitment to fostering intellectual development across the Arab world. It aims to build inclusive knowledge ecosystems that drive sustainable growth and empower communities. 'This partnership marks a milestone in making knowledge a cornerstone of sustainable development,' said bin Huwaireb. 'We aim to empower individuals and strengthen communities for future challenges.' Dr. Zayed emphasized the alignment with BA's mission, stating, 'This collaboration will spark initiatives that ensure inclusive access to intellectual resources, promoting societal progress.' The agreement strengthens regional efforts to enhance knowledge access through innovative content and training, positioning MBRF and BA as leaders in cultivating knowledge-driven societies. News Source: Emirates News Agency
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council launches 'Impact Makers' initiative
10 June 2025 14:45 ABU DHABI (WAM) His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs and Chairman of the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council, stressed the importance of enriching humanitarian content as an institutional and societal responsibility shared by media institutions and digital content responsibility is vital considering the unlimited support of the UAE's leadership in equipping young Arab talent with advanced tools and skills in storytelling related to humanitarian and development Highness elaborated that highlighting humanitarian efforts and developmental contributions is crucial for community solidarity as they impact positively the lives of millions of people across the world. He noted that the UAE was implementing significant humanitarian initiatives and projects that reflected its leading global remarks came on the launch of the 'Impact Makers' initiative by the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council in cooperation with the New Media initiative comprises several educational programmes and training workshops on digital media content creation with regard to humanitarian and developmental work. His Highness Sheikh Theyab asserted the need to empower individuals to forge positive and influential content that addresses humanitarian issues, increases community awareness through storytelling and appropriate media efforts are especially pertinent with respect to initiatives aimed to provide basic services to communities in areas such as healthcare and education, which will eventually result in prosperity, stability and initiative targets journalists, camera crew and content creators from the UAE, Arab world and other countries specialising in humanitarian and developmental affairs. Its goal is to help them enhance their skills in telling humanitarian stories, preparing media content, and producing audio and visual programmes across diverse digital platforms in more creative and appealing initiative also will train official spokespersons representing UAE-based humanitarian donor organisations and charitable associations in corporate reputation strategies and media crisis New Media Academy continues to support content creators and social media influencers, enabling them to deliver their message in a professional manner that contributes to social growth. The "Impact Makers" initiative includes several training modules, beginning with the "Spokesperson Skills, Media Appearance, and Crisis Management in the Media" programme, the "Humanitarian Impact Journalism" programme, and the "Humanitarian Impact Content Creators" programme. The last of these will include two versions, one of which will be done in partnership with the Arab Youth Centre.
Sharjah 24
a day ago
- Sharjah 24
Sharjah debuts at Readmagine 2025
During the international event, SBA participated in a session titled "Empowering Emirati publishers through the Sharjah Publishing Sustainability Fund (Onshur)", featuring Iman Ben Chaibah, Director of strategic initiatives and global markets at SBA, alongside Shatha Nasser, founder of Kairos Publishing House and one of the winners in the fund's inaugural launch track. Onshur draws global interest as a blueprint for sustainability In the session, Iman Ben Chaibah reaffirmed Sharjah's commitment to shaping a sustainable and resilient future for the publishing industry in the UAE and the wider region. She introduced Onshur as a strategic initiative designed to empower publishers through three integrated tracks: launch, scale and disrupt. 'The fund was established to address a fundamental challenge: how to ensure the continued strength and growth of the publishing sector over the long term. It responds to this need by offering a well-rounded framework of training, financial backing and professional mentorship, equipping publishers to tackle industry demands and grow their businesses with assurance and skill.' She went on to credit the vision of Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBA, for shaping the fund's comprehensive framework. 'Onshur offers a fully integrated support system that combines professional guidance, targeted training and access to a network of industry partners and specialists. It also provides practical resources such as trade licences, co-working spaces, affordable printing services and translation support. We were encouraged by the strong international interest in the Onshur model during the event, and we have already scheduled several follow-up meetings to explore potential areas of collaboration.' Publishing with purpose For her part, Shatha Nasser shared her journey into publishing, explaining that a simple search for a Spanish novel to recommend to a young Arab reader highlighted a broader cultural gap. Many important literary works had yet to be translated into Arabic. She discovered that many significant literary works remained inaccessible in Arabic. This realisation became the driving force behind the launch of Kairos, a publishing initiative committed to translating classic literature from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese into Arabic, to broaden access to global literary heritage and enrich the region's cultural landscape. She went on to highlight the pivotal role that Onshur played in shaping her professional journey. 'The fund provided a comprehensive foundation of mentorship, expertise and industry connections that enabled my entry into the publishing sector. It offered practical knowledge across all stages of book production, from acquiring publishing rights to distribution. With the support of a grant, I was able to establish the publishing house and release titles. It was the true starting point for a locally rooted publishing house with an international outlook.' Sharjah's Onshur sparks global dialogue The session attracted one of the highest levels of engagement at Readmagine 2025, sparking in-depth discussions around the structure of the Onshur Fund and the potential for replicating its model in other markets. Participants praised the leadership of Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi and expressed their appreciation for this forward-thinking initiative, describing it as a compelling example of how to support publishers and promote long-term sustainability in the book industry. Many also voiced their hope that cultural institutions in other countries would consider adopting similar frameworks, recognising the fund's proven success in empowering publishers and fostering a dynamic, innovation-driven publishing environment.
