Consider UAE a 'Natural Springboard': UAE Minister to Indian Startups UAE AI minister Omar bin Sultan Al Olama addressed Indian startups, investors and industry leaders at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2023 in Karnataka
By Soumya Duggal •
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United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister Omar bin Sultan Al Olama has invited Indian startup founders, industry leaders and investors to look to the UAE as a "natural springboard" to take their ideas abroad, including Africa and the Middle East.
Startups in Bengaluru see UAE as a natural hub to tap Africa and UAE-based startups look at India for expansion, he added as he addressed the inaugural session of the 25th Bengaluru Tech Summit in Karnataka on Wednesday.
Al Olama, UAE's minister of state for artificial intelligence, digital economy and remote work applications, further appreciated the technological advances currently being made in India.
According to him, Indian platforms such as Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and 'unique infrastructure' like JAM (Jan Dhan Bank Accounts, Aadhaar and Mobile) and India Stack are good examples to help one imagine a connected society in the future.
With regards to the world's future, Al Olama said, "Our belief is that India is not just past and present but India is also the future. The future will have (an) Indian fingerprint on it for everyone and everywhere." This is so because Indians are shaping the future of technology in different places across the world, he explained.
In addition to technology, the future of education, finance and many other sectors will also be reshaped by India, he noted. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed between the UAE and India in early 2022, is a great stepping stone to forge together a new era of technologies, he further said.
Al Olama became the world's first minister of state for artificial intelligence when he was appointed in 2017.
