UAE National Programme for Coders to enhance digital economy
On July 10th and under the supervision of the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office, the government has launched a new programme to develop talent, expertise and innovation in the field of coding in collaboration with top tech firms such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook, among others.
The National Program for Coders will promote close links and interaction between coders, public and private organisations, as well as academic entities in order to encourage the growth of the county’s digital economy and to accelerate the adoption of digital applications and tools in various economic sectors, said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.
“The National Program for Coders in collaboration with Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Cisco, IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), LinkedIn, Nvidia and Facebook, with the aim of training and attracting 100,000 coders, establishing 1,000 digital companies within five years and increasing investment in start-ups from Dhs1.5bn to Dhs4bn”, said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE on Twitter.
Five Key Strategic Pillars of the program
- Supporting coders, entrepreneurs, start-ups, large corporations, and academic institutions;
- Creating a comprehensive platform to promote engagement and connections between coders and local businesses and universities;
- Launching global skill development initiatives with international trainers in order to improve the efficiency of local talent;
- Attracting the best international coding professionals to the UAE;
- Recommending policies to promote the growth of the coding sector in collaboration with various government entities.
100,000 Golden Visas
The program will also grant golden visas to 100,000 of the world’s best coders. It will also offer a variety of financing options to entrepreneurs and coders, support the implementation of their projects and ideas, and establish digital companies to boost the national economy’s competitiveness, according to a statement by the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office.
Supporting Strategic Goals
Several initiatives will be launched to support the strategy’s goals, including a comprehensive platform to connect coders with the private and academic sectors, assisting businesses in finding specialized talent to develop innovative projects, providing the Golden Visa to some of the world’s leading coders, developing the skills and expertise of Emirati coders so that they can compete with the world’s best, supporting national digital economy start-ups, and empowering social and humanitarian coding-based projects.
It will assist various government entities in developing innovative coding-based solutions in collaboration with leading coders, independent businesses, local start-ups, and global coding companies as part of the support provided by the program. It will also oversee the skill development of young Emirati coders, in addition to studying and identifying local and global market needs and enhancing continuous cooperation with the academic sector.
Development of Innovative Solutions
In the program’s next phase, coders from around the world will be invited to find innovative solutions to 100 government, economic, technological, health, and services challenges, thereby accelerating the adoption of modern technologies. It will also organise 10 hackathons.
A global campaign called #UAE_Codes will be launched to highlight the UAE’s efforts in attracting the world’s best coding professionals. It will also offer services and encourage coders to find work and start businesses in the UAE.