UAE President and VP attend ceremony of NAFIS Award winners

Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, attended part of the honouring ceremony of winners of the first edition of the NAFIS Award 2022-2023 at Qasr Al Watan.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed emphasised that empowering a skilled and qualified national workforce is a top priority, and should be supported by all institutions, government departments, and private sector partners working together.

He expressed confidence in Emiratis’ ability to drive the country’s economic leadership and competitiveness in various fields.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid noted that H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is overseeing the Emiratisation programmes, and the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council has launched an integrated package of opportunities to promote the presence of UAE citizens in the private sector.

He stated, “We have ambitious national objectives to develop the Emiratisation programme, which is crucial to the UAE’s development journey. Our policy focuses on strengthening partnerships between government and private sector institutions, investing in youth potential, and enhancing their expertise.”

The event was attended by a number of ministers, top officials, public figures, and businesspeople, during which the names of the winners were announced and honoured for their achievements in 2022.

Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, emphasised the UAE leadership’s support for the Emiratisation programme and their commitment to providing all possible support for skilled and qualified workers to enhance their active participation in the country’s development.

He added, “The Emiratisation policy enjoys the support of the wise leadership, and the last stage witnessed the launch of a comprehensive set of initiatives aimed at creating a supportive environment for Emiratisation and strengthening the private sector’s role as a major partner with great capabilities and opportunities.”

Al Awar stressed that the NAFIS Award aims to promote positive competition among private sector establishments in Emiratisation by recognising those who have achieved the necessary targets and celebrating outstanding Emirati talents in this sector. This contributes to improving the national human development system and increasing its participation in strategic economic sectors in the present and future.

Ghannam Butti Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, stated that the launch of the inaugural NAFIS Award for 2022-2023 aims to recognise private sector companies, Emiratis working in them, and their trainees who have met the Emiratisation conditions and targets and achieved outstanding performance results.

Al Mazrouei emphasised that the award serves as a stimulus to achieve the UAE leadership’s vision by encouraging private sector establishments to increase the participation rate of UAE citizens in the workforce and make a significant leap in the nation’s development journey and the national economic system. Additionally, the award honours Emirati individuals and acknowledges their achievements in their respective fields.

The Award consisted of a number of categories. The Best Company in Achieving Emiratisation Targets included 3 main categories: Large Sized Companies (1000 employees or more), won by Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets LLC; Medium Sized Companies (500 to 999 employees), won by Al Masar Recruitment Services; and Small Sized Companies (fewer than 499 employees), won by KPMG Lower Gulf Limited.

This NAFIS Award’s first cycle ceremony also included a special honour to 21 companies who made distinguished efforts in Emiratisation through recruiting and training Emiratis, including: Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas LLC (VOX); Al Futtaim Private Co LLC; Injazat A G42 Company; Crif Gulf DWC LLC; OMB for Manpower Staffing Services; Aldar Projects; Al Riyadh School; Al Rayana School; Emirates Response Services LLC; SAAED for Traffic Systems; Teleperformance; Taqieem Trade Information Centre; Taqdeer Centre; Etimad Holding; IGG Emirates Advanced Training LLC; Al Shuweihat Limited Partnership; Lulu Hypermarket; Jindal SAW Gulf; Halliburton Worldwide Limited; Keolis MHI; and Maximon for Project Management.

The ‘Individuals’ award covered a number of sub-awards. The Supervisory/ Leadership Jobs category won by Ghanim Ghuloom Ali Karam; the Administrative Jobs category won by Fatima Mubarak al-Karbi; the Medical Jobs category won by two Emirati distinguished talents Amal Abdullah AlMulla Al Muhairi, and Noura Salem Mohammed Al-Nashmi Al Mansoori; the Finance Jobs category won by Abdulrahman Mohammed Khalfan Kharbash; the Lawyers Jobs category won by Hawra Moosa Abdulrasool Moosa; the Professional Jobs category won by Mona Ibrahim Jomaa Abdullah Al Mansouri; the Retail Jobs category won by Chadha Ali Ibrahim Obaid Shehhi; and the Trainees category won by Abdullah Khalid Ali Abdullah Al Raissi.

The NAFIS Awards also highlighted 15 success stories of talented and distinguished Emiratis working in different fields in the private sector. They were honoured for achieving a high level of professionalism in their work.

NAFIS is an annual award launched under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and is supervised by the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council in partnership with the NAFIS programme, which was initiated in September 2021 by the Council as part of “Projects of the 50” to achieve the UAE Vision 2071. The NAFIS Award encourages skilled Emirati talents to work productively and attain competitiveness in the labour market, while attracting young people to work in the private sector as their first choice after graduation.