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Al Etihad
10-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Hamdan bin Mohammed: Dubai's unified service model drives government excellence, improves people's lives
10 May 2025 21:36 DUBAI (WAM)His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, awarded the Hamdan Flag to the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, recognising its outstanding achievement in applying the Services 360 policy and delivering integrated, proactive services that anticipate future needs."Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, our government services not only meet expectations—they anticipate them. Services 360 is not a procedural enhancement; it is a comprehensive approach that strengthens the partnership between government, business, and society. It transforms data and digital integration into a seamless, human-centric experiences,' His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said."To date, 997 government services have been redesigned under the Services 360 policy, saving Dh2.3 billion for customers and Dh1.6 billion for government entities. These results are testament to Dubai's unified approach to service transformation. I am proud of the teams who have improved public services through collaboration and integration. Every entity that has contributed to this effort is part of Dubai's story of excellence," he General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs was recognised for placing the service user at the heart of every experience, embodying the one-government spirit that characterises Dubai's public service Highness said, "The Hamdan Flag is awarded for real-world impact. I congratulate the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs for transforming its services into a model of efficiency, foresight and customer value."He also congratulated Dubai Customs for winning Best Pioneering Initiative, and Dubai Police for winning the Best Digital City Experience. The Roads and Transport Authority achieved the highest customer trust score for the second consecutive Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed hailed the beginning of a new phase of public service excellence, commending every shortlisted entity for its winners were announced during the annual awards ceremony of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services, organised by the Dubai Model Centre under the General Secretariat of The Executive event was held in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Chairman of The Executive Council, and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Deputy Chairman of The Executive second phase of the Services 360 policy resulted in direct savings, a 93% reduction in waiting times and the number of required visits, a 63% reduction in service requirements, a 59% cut in processing time, and a 56% overall reduction in service completion nine finalists selected for the Hamdan Flag from 27 government entities, were Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Community Development Authority, Roads and Transport Authority, General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Customs, and Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Customs received the Best Pioneering Initiative Award for its Cross-Border e-Commerce project, which enhances service efficiency and positions Dubai as a leading global hub for e-commerce through real-time customs clearance and pre-emptive Police was awarded the Best Digital City Experience for the Ahsan Allah Aza'akum initiative, digitising death related procedures for UAE citizens in Dubai (phase one), developed in partnership with key entities including the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Dubai Municipality, the Dubai Health Authority, the Community Development Authority, the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Civil Defence, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention. The initiative will expand in its second phase to include other population in the Digital City Experience category included the digitalisation of land grants and exchange by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment), electric vehicle driving experience by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, vehicle licensing by the Roads and Transport Authority, and digitising death related procedures for UAE citizens in Dubai by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority was honoured for achieving the highest customer trust score for the second year in a row, underscoring the government's commitment to service Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services follows a rigorous evaluation by the Dubai Model Centre and international experts, based on five core criteria: results and impact, whole-of-government approach, innovation, service culture, and sustainability. Residents also participated in customer feedback, reinforcing the customer's role in shaping future Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai, said, "The results of the Services 360 policy reflect the strength of Dubai's governance model, where the leadership's vision is translated into measurable, real-world outcomes. The Hamdan Flag celebrates government entities that create tangible improvements in people's lives, led by proactive design, institutional integration, innovation, and a commitment to exceeding public expectations."Hamad Al Mansoori, Director General of the Digital Dubai Authority said, "The new addition of the 'Digital City Experiences' category within the Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services reflects a genuine translation of cross-entity integration and unified government efforts under a shared vision to enhance quality of life in Dubai. Dubai Police's recognition in this category marks a new milestone in its journey and reaffirms its commitment to delivering seamless, customer-centric digital experiences that are both efficient and innovative."Dr. Hazza Khalfan Al Nuaimi, Assistant Secretary General for Excellence and Government Services Sector at the General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai, said," The Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services has become a comprehensive framework for designing, delivering, and assessing government services. The Hamdan Flag represents more than recognition—it marks the transformation of strategic ambition into operational excellence." Eman Al Suwaidi, Director of Assessment and Studies, General Secretariat of The Executive Council, said, "This year saw a marked improvement in proactive, integrated services across entities. The programme encourages continuous innovation, helping government entities redefine the customer journey using data, co-design, and digital collaboration."
Khaleej Times
29-04-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE to post surplus as lower oil prices strain GCC budgets in 2025
Lower oil prices are set to challenge fiscal balances across the GCC, with most economies facing wider budget deficits in 2025, according to Emirates NBD, a leading GCC bank. However, the UAE is expected to buck the trend, maintaining a budget surplus, albeit smaller than previously forecast, bolstered by its diversification efforts and prudent fiscal policies. The broader implications of falling oil prices underscore the urgency of economic diversification across the region, with the UAE serving as a model for resilience. Emirates NBD has revised its 2025 oil price forecast to an average of $68 per barrel, down from a previous estimate and below the GCC's weighted average fiscal breakeven oil price of $74 per barrel (excluding Qatar). This downgrade signals deeper deficits for most GCC economies, with the bank now projecting a weighted average budget deficit of 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2025, compared to just 1 per cent in 2024. The UAE, however, remains a standout, with a forecasted surplus of 1.8 per cent of GDP, down from an earlier projection of 2.7 per cent and a 2024 surplus of 3.4 per cent. Daniel Richards, senior economist at Emirates NBD, emphasised the region's resilience despite fiscal pressures. 'The negative impact on non-oil growth will be limited in the near term, thanks to diversification-focused investment programs,' he said. 'Lower oil prices highlight the critical role of these strategies and recent tax reforms, such as the introduction of VAT and corporate income tax. Low debt levels across the GCC also provide substantial borrowing capacity to manage deficits.' The UAE's fiscal strength is underpinned by its diversified economy and strategic investments in sectors like tourism, technology, and renewable energy. According to the UAE's Federal General Budget Annual Report, 2024 revenues reached Dh65.7 billion ($17.9 billion), with expenditures at Dh 64.1 billion ($17.5 billion), yielding a surplus of Dh1.6 billion ($436 million). For 2025, the UAE cabinet has approved a balanced federal budget of Dh71.5 billion ($19.5 billion) for both revenues and expenditures, reflecting an 11.5 per cent increase in spending. While the federal budget represents only a portion of total spending —individual emirates like Abu Dhabi and Dubai maintain their own budgets— it signals robust government investment and revenue collection efforts. Highlighting the UAE's proactive approach, economists argue that the Arab world's second-largest economy's ability to maintain a surplus, even with lower oil prices, reflects its success in reducing oil dependency. 'Investments in non-oil sectors, coupled with tax reforms, have created a buffer against oil market volatility,' one analyst said. In contrast, Saudi Arabia faces a steeper challenge. Emirates NBD projects a 2025 budget deficit of 6.0 per cent of GDP, equivalent to $66.9 billion, up from 5.2 per cent previously and significantly higher than the Saudi government's 2.3 per cent forecast. With a breakeven oil price of $97.5 per barrel, far above current levels, and ongoing production cuts, Saudi Arabia's fiscal strain is evident. Total revenues are expected to fall to $310.4 billion in 2025 from $335.7 billion in 2024, driven by lower oil income, despite growth in non-oil revenues. The government's share of Aramco's dividend, a key revenue source, is projected to drop from $124 billion in 2024 to $85.3 billion in Arabia's spending is forecasted at $377.3 billion, exceeding the government's $342.7 billion projection. While current expenditure dominates at 86 per cent of the budget, major projects like NEOM and Vision 2030 initiatives are largely funded through the Public Investment Fund, softening the budget's exposure to spending cuts. 'Saudi Arabia's fiscal outlook remains challenging, but its non-oil revenue growth and alternative funding mechanisms provide some flexibility,' said Karen Young, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, in an interview with Reuters. The GCC's reliance on oil underscores the need for sustained diversification. The UAE's success in fostering non-oil growth—through initiatives like Dubai's D33 economic agenda and Abu Dhabi's green energy projects — offers a blueprint. 'The UAE's diversified revenue streams and low debt levels position it to weather oil price shocks better than its neighbors,' said Jim Krane, an energy expert at Rice University's Baker Institute, in a statement to regional publication.
The National
19-04-2025
- Business
- The National
My Own Home: Family of five love ‘resort-style living' in Dh1.6 million Dubai Production City apartment
My Own Home takes you inside a reader-owned property to ask how much they paid, why they decided to buy and what they have done with it since moving in Long-term UAE resident Akther Arkate invested in his family's future by buying an off-plan property in Dubai after many years of renting. The engineer, who works for air traffic control in the emirate, lives in a three-bedroom apartment in Dubai Production City with his wife and three children – two of whom study abroad during term. The couple bought their home in 2017 and moved in during 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the family have settled in well, and they love the neighbourhood, they have bought a town house, again off-plan, and will move when it is ready, by 2028. Meanwhile, they plan to enjoy the only place in the UAE that has truly felt like home. The National takes a look around. It's a three-bedroom apartment with a good layout. It's a compact layout, but it's not too small. It's perfect for us. We have a living room, which is quite huge, where we can accommodate a lot of visitors or friends. The three bedrooms are just the right size for us. We enjoy living here. We had bought a house in India and we had spent a lot of money over there. Then something struck my mind: we have spent so much money in India, and we stay in that house once a year, yet we stay over here for the majority of our time. So, we thought: let's look at some places over here that we can call our own home, rather than a rented home. Deyaar [the developer] was running a fantastic payment plan at that time. Construction had just begun, so you could pay Dh10,000 per month until the completion, which was around three years away, and at the time of handover you could go into a mortgage. We paid it for around 33 months, and then we did the mortgage. The total price was around Dh1.6 million, all inclusive, with all the government charges and everything. Because the community opened in Covid, nobody really knew Dubai Production City. It's a wonderful community, but it has not appreciated on regular Dubai levels. It might fetch around Dh1.8 million or Dh1.9 million now. As long as it doesn't depreciate, it's good. If you consider you're paying whatever you were paying as rent before, and it was going down the drain, at least now the property is yours, the asset is yours. The payment plan was what attracted us, but then we saw the layout of the community. It's a 1km-long community with one level full of amenities. It's like resort-style living. The community has grown. It's well maintained, with lots of amenities. There are three swimming pools, three gyms. Anybody who has kids below 12, this is a perfect place for them to grow up, because you have a 1km podium, which is secure, so you drop your kids on level one and it's a closed environment. They cannot go anywhere. It's also adjacent to Jumeirah Golf Estates, which is one of the top-notch communities in Dubai. The reason it's called Dubai Production City is there is a production free zone in the middle of the community, so there are a lot of printing or storage warehouses and facilities. Then there is a City Centre mall as well. Before we moved in we'd wanted to renovate it as per our aspirations. But then during Covid everything was bust, so we were not able to do what we wanted to do. It's very difficult to renovate when you are occupying the house. We did some minor modifications, but nothing major. If I were to do it, I'd renew the kitchen, but otherwise there is not much renovation that is required. The space is underutilised. The NOC (no objection certificate) process is a pain, so that's what's kept us from doing it. Modern with a classical touch. It's a modern layout, with classical furniture. During Covid, we also bought a town house in Villanova and we thought we would move there when it was ready. But we got so used to this community and this place, that we didn't end up moving. Now we've sold that property and taken another property in Athlon by Aldar, just across from Global Village. It's our goal to move over there when it's ready in 2028, because the kids are growing. Do you want to see your home featured in our series? Email kgillett@ for more information.
Khaleej Times
17-03-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Air Arabia shareholders approve 25% dividend distribution
Air Arabia shareholders have approved the distribution of 25 per cent cash dividend for the financial year ending December 31, 2024 at the company's annual general meeting (AGM). The dividend, which is equivalent to 25 fils per share, marks another year of strong financial performance for the award-winning low-cost carrier. The board's recommendation follows the airline's robust financial performance in the year ending December 31, 2024, where Air Arabia reported a record net profit before tax of Dh1.6 billion, marking a four per cent increase compared to 2023. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, said: 'Despite geopolitical tensions and economic challenges, Air Arabia Group sustained exponential growth in 2024, driven by increased operating capacity, new route launches, and continued network expansion. This exceptional year underscores our commitment to delivering a value-driven travel experience, strengthening our global footprint, and maintaining operational excellence. Our financial and operational performance reaffirms the strength of our business model, strategic vision, and the dedication of our team.' In 2024, Air Arabia added 31 new routes to its global network from its six operating hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, and Pakistan. The carrier took delivery of 10 new aircraft and ended the year with a fleet of 81 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft operating to over 220 routes across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Al Etihad
17-03-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Air Arabia shareholders approve 25% dividend distribution at Annual General Meeting
SHARJAH (ALETIHAD) Air Arabia shareholders approved the distribution of 25% cash dividend for the financial year ending December 31, 2024 at the company's Annual General Meeting (AGM). The dividend, which is equivalent to 25 fils per share, marks another year of strong financial performance for the award-winning low-cost carrier. The Board of Directors' recommendation follows the airline's robust financial performance in the year ending December 31, 2024, where Air Arabia reported a record net profit before tax of Dh1.6 billion, marking a 4 percent increase compared to 2023. During the AGM, the report of Air Arabia's auditors, balance sheet, as well as profit and loss accounts were approved by the assembly for the year ending December 31, 2024. Furthermore, the Board of Directors and auditors of the company were discharged from liability for the financial year ending December 31, 2024, while auditors for the next fiscal year were appointed and their remuneration fixed. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, said, 'Despite geopolitical tensions and economic challenges, Air Arabia Group sustained exponential growth in 2024, driven by increased operating capacity, new route launches, and continued network expansion. This exceptional year underscores our commitment to delivering a value-driven travel experience, strengthening our global footprint, and maintaining operational excellence. Our financial and operational performance reaffirms the strength of our business model, strategic vision, and the dedication of our team.' In 2024, Air Arabia added 31 new routes to its global network from its six operating hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, and Pakistan. The carrier took delivery of 10 new aircraft and ended the year with a fleet of 81 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft operating to over 220 routes across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
