Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development And Amazon Partner To Boost The Potential of Abu Dhabi-Based SMEs

The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, in partnership with Amazon, has launched "E-Empower," a support program for Abu Dhabi-based startups and SMEs. The program includes 50 hours of interactive virtual learning content that can help with achieving more effective navigation of the digital economy, such as free online training sessions, advice from industry experts, and educational support. The initiative will also offer step-by-step guides to SMEs on how they can use Amazon.ae to expand and grow their businesses' customer reach, as well as a four-month-long seller support program from Amazon.

"The partnership between Khalifa Fund and Amazon will bring about groundbreaking benefits for UAE entrepreneurs who complete and graduate from 'E-Empower,' such as exclusive benefits from Amazon in the form of jump-starting their growth journey on Amazon.ae through the tailored curriculum and personalized recommendations on programs and features to accelerate their growth," said H.E. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, and Chairman of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development. "Graduates will also have access to Amazon selling partner benefits such as easy listing tools, payment processing, and promotional features to help them get discovered by customers."

H.E. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. Source: Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development

The partnership is part of Abu Dhabi Inspires, a program of initiatives that aims to drive forward innovative solutions that can potentially have a positive community impact. One of its recent endeavors was the launch of the e-commerce license and a legal trade license, launched by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development to encourage entrepreneurs in the Emirate to strengthen their business activities through electronic trade and commercial channels.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said that supporting SMEs is a fundamental part of Amazon's work, and an extension of the company's customer-centric culture. "Our partnership with small businesses spans the company as they sell their products online, run delivery companies, publish books, and create new apps and services using our cloud services– their success is our success," Mouchawar said. "That's part of the reason why, in 2020, Amazon plans to have invested more than US$18 billion in logistics, tools, services, programs, and people to foster the growth of our SME sellers."

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President, Amazon MENA. Source: Amazon MENA

"The partnership with Khalifa Fund marks a key milestone in our ongoing efforts in the MENA region to champion small businesses within our local communities. We are confident that our efforts with the Khalifa Fund will see us welcome more Abu Dhabi entrepreneurs to Amazon.ae, as they choose to grow their businesses with us," Mouchawar added.

Further information on the E-Empower program are available here.

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