Page 286 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - AUGUST 2024

He pointed out that the UAE is positioned 7th globally and first regionally in the Gender Equality
Index issued by the United Nations Development Programme.

Alia bint Abdulla Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, said Emirati women constitute
an important economic force with more than 128,412 small and medium-sized companies owned
by them and about 135,171 projects owned by Emirati businesswomen in the country.

She noted that the UAE is keen to establish a forward-looking approach to empower Emirati women
in various political, economic, social and cultural sectors.

“National efforts are continuing to work on launching more supportive programmes and projects to
motivate Emirati businesswomen to engage in the fields and activities of entrepreneurship, and
small and medium enterprises,” said Al Mazrouei.

Mouza Obaid Al Nasri, executive director for the SME sector at the Abu Dhabi Department of
Economic Development (ADDED), said the department allocated much effort to support Emirati
women and enhance their role within the emirate’s economic ecosystem.

“This is reflected in the continuous increase in the number of commercial licences issued to
Emirati women in Abu Dhabi, reaching 27,331 licences in the first half of 2024, an increase of 23 per
cent compared to 2023,” said Al Nasri.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
(Dewa) said 1,938 female employees are working in all divisions of the entity.

“This includes 836 female employees in the engineering and technical sector, and many female
employees in leadership positions. Around 1,147 female employees occupy supervisory positions.
Emirati female employees constitute 84.57 per cent of the total female workforce,” added Al Tayer.

Meanwhile, a new survey covering 1,000 UAE residents released on Tuesday revealed that 83 per
cent of UAE them are inspired by the achievements of Emirati women over the past five years.

Released by Volkswagen Abu Dhabi and conducted by YouGov, around 76 per cent of respondents
believe that Emirati women have become more prominent in leading government positions since
2019, with 80 per cent agreeing that they will play a key role in driving the UAE’s economic progress
over the next decade and beyond.

The study found that Emirati women’s presence has been most noticeable in the healthcare sector
at 57 per cent, followed by government (54 per cent), arts and culture (38 per cent), science and
research (34 per cent), and entrepreneurship (32 per cent).

https://www.msn.com/en-ae/money/news/uae-emirati-women-own-over-128-000-businesses-in-
sme-sector-minister-says/ar-AA1pvKM2?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds#fullscreen