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4/22/26, 10:33 AM Khalifa Fund participates in inaugural Abu Dhabi Global Entrepreneurship Festival - UAE News Network - UNN
Khalifa Fund participates in inaugural

Abu Dhabi Global Entrepreneurship

Festival

ABU DHABI, 21st April, 2026 (WAM) — The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED)
is participating in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Global Entrepreneurship Festival, held under the
patronage of Sheikh Zayed bin Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan until 22nd April at the Abu Dhabi
Energy Centre under the theme, “Your Impact. Our Economy’s Pulse.”

KFED’s participation reflects its commitment to strengthening Abu Dhabi’s SME landscape by
empowering Emirati entrepreneurs to scale their ventures, while providing networking
opportunities with investors and decision-makers.

As part of its participation, the Fund is launching the ‘Funding on the Spot’ initiative, an
innovative platform designed to facilitate entrepreneurs’ access to financing during the festival
by enabling immediate eligibility assessments and providing on-site advisory support, including
assistance with documentation and application processes.

The initiative targets Emirati business owners aged 21 to 60 operating in Abu Dhabi,
particularly those in growth and expansion phases across priority sectors such as healthcare,
education, agriculture, information technology, tourism and industry.

Additionally, the ‘Young Emirati Traders’ competition was announced under the patronage of
Sheikha Rawdha bint Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in collaboration with the Khalifa Fund. The
initiative targets youth aged 6 to 18, introducing them to entrepreneurship through hands-on
learning while building awareness of emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence and clean
energy, alongside promoting financial literacy in partnership with banks and financial
institutions.

As part of the festival programme, Khalifa Al Kuwaiti, Executive Director of the
Entrepreneurship Sector at KFED, participated in a panel discussion titled ‘Building Abu Dhabi
as a Global Founder Platform’, which explored Abu Dhabi’s position within the global

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