The increase in licenses relates to a higher level of interest in commercial and professional activities among businessmen and investors in Dubai. Commercial licenses accounted for 74 per cent of the total licenses issued last month, followed by professional (24%), industrial and tourism (1% each) licenses.

The total number of licenses amended in April 2012 was 5,251, a 10 per cent increase over the same period in 2011, while the total number of business registration and licensing (BRL) transactions reached 47,082, compared to 39,934 in April 2011, an increase of 18 per cent.

The number of reserved trade names reached 5,714 in April 2012, a 58 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2011, while the number of initial approvals reached 2,688, a 47 per cent increase year on year.

The total number of commercial activities licensed in April 2012 was 4,123, with General trade leading the list of the top 10 licensed activities (187 licences) followed by Dyes & paints (151 licenses), Carpentry and flooring (149), Tiling of floors and walls (144), Sanitary extensions & wares (138), and Installation of air conditioning systems, ventilation and air purification (130). The service categories and numbers reflect positive improvements in the local real estate sector.

The number of professional activities licensed in April 2011 reached 981. Residences and building cleaning services led the list of the top 10 licensed activities in this category with 117 licences, Restaurants, Sewing and embroidery, and Wiring repair and electrical installation were the other leading activities in this category.

In the tourism sector, Inbound tourism was the leader with eight licenses, followed by Hotel management, Accredited airline general service agent, Travel agent and Leasing of hotel apartments.

In the industrial activities segment, Manufacturing of wood led the list of licensed activities followed by Mirrors & glass cutting, Concrete bricks, Metal for building construction, Manufacturing of napkins and paper towels, Supplies of central air conditioning systems, Central air-conditioning equipment, Home furniture, Office Furniture, and Plastic covers.

“The two projects represent the initial phase of the 5-Year Plan 2012-2016 endorsed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for paving internal roads at several residential districts in Dubai Emirate at a cost of about one billion dirham. The initial phase of the Plan covers five residential communities namely: Hatta and Al Qusais 3 in addition to Al Qouz 2, 3 and 4,” said Al Tayer.

“The Internal Roads Project at Al Qusais 3, which covers an area of 225 hectares, encompasses the construction of roads extending 6 km along with street lighting works and the construction of parking slots for some mosques and public schools in the area. Al Qusais 3 has a vibrant demographic activity with urbanization rate exceeding 60 per cent in the area. Construction works in the Project, which costs about AED23 million, is set to start in June this year and takes about 9 months to complete.

“The Project of Constructing Internal Roads at Al Qouz 4 comprises the construction of roads extending 8 km, and lighting & parking works along with storm-water drainage services, at a cost of 15 million dirham. Construction works are set to start this week and the project is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2013.

“Early this month, the RTA awarded a contract for constructing internal roads at Al Warqaa 1, 2, 3 and 4 at a cost of about AED156.631 million. The Project includes construction and lighting works of roads stretching 125 km; comprising the construction of 89 km-long roads, and improvements on existing roads extending 36 km. It also includes the construction of roadside parking slots, parking works for some mosques and public schools in the area, and all necessary road works such as road marking, and traffic signals,” elaborated Al Tayer.

It is worth-mentioning that the 5-Year Plan (2012–2016) for Constructing Internal Roads at Residential Districts in Dubai Emirate, which has been endorsed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, covers the construction of internal roads in about 16 areas where urbanization rates range from 20 to 80 per cent, though drop in some areas to as low as 5 per cent. Phase I of the Project, the cost of which is about AED150 million, covers five residential communities namely: Hatta and Al Qusais 3 in addition to Al Qouze 2, 3 and 4. Phase II, which will start in 2013 at a cost of about 140 million dirham, covers three residential districts namely; Muhaisna 2, and Al Barsha South 1 and 2. Phase III, which starts in 2014 at a cost of about 130 million dirham, covers Al Mamzar, Al Nahdah 1, and Oud Mateena 2. Phase IV, which starts in 2015 and costs about 140 million dirham, covers the construction of roads in 3 districts: Nad El Sheba 4, Oud Mateena 1, and Khawaneej 2. Phase V, which starts in 2016 at a cost of 250 million dirham, covers road works in Jebel Ali Industrial Area 1, Al Qusais Industrial Areas 3, 4 & 5, and Al Awir 1.

Captions:

- Mattar Al Tayer

- Layout of internal roads project

The workshops were aimed to help organisations bridge existing gaps in their quality and human development initiatives and bid successfully for the awards.

The first of the workshops was to train new applicants in the 2012 cycle on conducting self assessments and writing a well-organised award submission document, based on the latest European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) 2010 Excellence Model.  It was the second workshop for new applicants being held this year.

The second workshop was intended to help applicants in the 2011 cycle of DQA and DHDA analyse the feedback report they received after the award cycle, and prepare an action plan for participating in the award again after two years, as all past applicants participating in the award need to submit an action taken report based on their previous feedback report.

“A distinguishing feature of the Dubai Quality Award and Dubai Human Development Award is their broad knowledge platform. It allows participants to be updated on the best practices in quality and human development and pursue excellence in performance, productivity, and social responsibility,” said Mohammed Bushanain, Executive Director, Corporate Quality & Management Excellence at the Business Excellence Department of DED.

“Overall, DQA and DHDA provide a significant opportunity for organisations and employees for self-improvement and contributing to economic growth.  The self-assessment component of the awards process is a good opportunity for organisations to evaluate existing strategies and practices against the DQA criteria. Likewise, the feedback report teaches previous applicants of the awards to address gaps and make a successful bid in future,” added Bushanain.

Nearly 30 potential applicants from various sectors including Services, Transportation, Manufacturing, Trade, Hospitality, Telecom, Government, Finance, Travel, Construction and Healthcare attended the DQA workshops. The workshops were led by Norman Hughes, EFQM Trainer and Business Improvement Consultant, Footloose Enterprises Ltd, UK.

“The Dubai Quality Award and the Dubai Human Development Award have succeeded in stimulating a quality and excellence drive across the region. Globally, quality and human capital are recognised as key metrics of performance excellence and sustainability. It is therefore critical to train organisations on the performance parameters that define quality and sustainability,” Hughes said.

The date for receiving the final submission for the 2012 cycle of Dubai Quality Award and Dubai Human Development Award is 30 September 2012. Applicants interested in applying for the awards should register their intention to participate on bec@dubaided.gov.ae.

During the three-day event, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry will, for the first time, organise business-to-business meetings for the business community of the UAE and the GCC region, underlining the excellent platform that MIK 2012 presents for regional companies to establish and strengthen business relations with their Korean counterparts.

 Running until May 23, MIK 2012 will gather more than 150 high-profile Korean exhibitors from a wide range of industries including tourism, automotive, engineering, metal, hospitality, textile, electrical, chemicals, rubber & plastics, power, healthcare, ICT, media, construction, furniture, fashion and even sport. Moreover, representatives from Korean government agencies and regulatory authorities will also be present to meet with their counterparts from various Arab countries.

Among the major Korean companies that are participating in the event are Korea National Oil Corporation, Korea Gas Corporation, the Korean National Power and Electricity Company along with LG, Samsung, Doosan, Hankook and Kumho. Moreover, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority are extending their total support to MIK 2012.

Organised by Ideal Idea Events, MIK 2012 is also expected to welcome over 25,000 visitors to 14,000 sqm of prime exhibition space and a conference agenda featuring prominent international speakers.

 

The visits are held in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Education, educational districts and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai. The university has hosted a number of delegations from different schools such as Omar bin Al Khattab Model School, Al Yahr Secondary School, Sharjah Model School Boys, Al Bayan Boys School, Al Laseeli School, Humaid Bin Abdulaziz Boys School, Sir Bani Yas Boys School, Muzaira’a Girls School, Islamic Institute – Boys School Dubai, School of Modern Skills Private Dubai – Boys, School of Modern Skills Private Dubai – Girls, and Um Al Momeneen Girls School.

As part of the program, HBMeU has also visited educational exhibitions in different countries, including GETEX in Dubai, Global Higher Education Exhibition in Oman, and the 16^th Annual Jordan Education and Training Exhibition in Amman, Jordan.

The university has also attended more than a dozen school exhibitions organized by various schools across the UAE such as Al Nahda Schools in Abu Dhabi, School of Modern Skills in Dubai, and the Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain, Dubai and Fujairah Campuses of Applied Technology Institute, among others.

Through such visits and participations, HBMeU aims to raise awareness among schools and students about its programs, the scientific researches it conducts, the training courses it organises, and its educational and informative services that are based on the principle of providing education anytime, anywhere. HBMeU is also keen on highlighting its learning environment that leverages the power of information and communications technology (ICT).

Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University, said: “This program emphasizes the university’s commitment to apply the directives of the Board of Governors which aim to raise awareness about the university and its academic programs. These visits are an ideal way to introduce an unconventional educational environment offered by the university, based on the use of ICT in education and training. It also reaffirms the quality of HBMeU’s academic programs that comply with the highest international standards, which contribute towards building a generation of qualified young people with a high level of competency, experience and competitiveness.”

“The program is the result of the fruitful cooperation between HBMeU and the UAE Ministry of Education in cultivating a culture of excellence and quality among the education and academic community,” he added.

HBMeU is the first e-learning institute in the Arab World that was established with the vision to develop a new learning process through the implementation of learning practices characterised by flexibility, quality and diversity to strengthen self-leadership among learners and prepare them socially and academically for a future career through integration in the job market. HBMeU’s philosophy is based on vital methods that have been developed through extensive research and development by specialists from all over the world. These methods include offering high quality programs, supporting the pursuit of lifelong learning, promoting the freedom of information, reinforcing the culture of excellence and innovation and providing education for everyone in line with the highest standards of comprehensiveness and credibility. The university, which is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, seeks to constantly identify knowledge needs, support research and development programs and create an outstanding environment for e-learning.