Dubai entities sign strategic partnership to support SMEs

Dubai - Dubai SMEs currently contribute 42 per cent towards Dubai's total employment and generate 40 per cent of gross value added, according to Dubai SME

Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai SME and Tejari, the strategic procurement company, have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU that will broaden access for thousands of SMEs in the emirate to tender opportunities for the Dh25 billion mega-event.
SMEs currently contribute 42 per cent towards Dubai's total employment and generate 40 per cent of gross value added, according to Dubai SME. As a result of the MoU, businesses registered with Dubai SME will now be automatically enrolled as potential suppliers to Expo 2020 Dubai. The move forms part of ongoing initiatives aimed at encouraging participation by SMEs in the delivery of Expo Dubai 2020 and creating a positive impact on the UAE economy that extends beyond 2020. Hosting the mega-event is expected to generate a gross value add of Dh71 billion.
Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Cabinet Member, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Bureau Expo Dubai 2020, welcomed the MoU, She said: "SMEs are major economic drivers and provide an important contribution to Dubai's evolution as a Smart City. By uniting with Dubai SME and Tejari, we are further extending our support to this critical business community, enabling SMEs to play a greater part in the delivery and legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai. We look forward to working with them to developing a truly inclusive, SME-friendly Expo, with a sustainable economic legacy."
In April 2015, Expo 2020 Dubai launched its vendor registration and pre-qualification eSourcing Portal, which links all Expo-related procurement operations and enables the rapid deployment of tender opportunities to the local and global business community in an open and transparent fashion.
Of the 4,633 companies currently registered on the Expo 2020 Dubai eSourcing Portal, 32.7 per cent are SMEs. As part of the MoU, Tejari, a leading UAE provider of electronic contract systems, will integrate Dubai SME's 3,500 member companies into the Expo 2020 Dubai e-Sourcing Portal database. All registered members will be automatically integrated and will be able to participate in the delivery of the World Expo through project tenders.
Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, said: "We at Dubai SME seek to cooperate and coordinate with the public sector, both at the federal and local levels, and the private sector to enhance business competitiveness and support entrepreneurs in the run up of the largest event regionally."
 - business@khaleejtimes.com