Dubai Stages SAMENA Summit Pushing for Inclusive and Green Digital Advancement
In Dubai today, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, inaugurated the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025. In his address, he emphasized the significance of embracing a smarter, inclusive, and human-centric digital transformation across the region.
The summit, held under the patronage of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), brought together policymakers, regulators, and tech leaders from South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa to explore the evolving digital landscape.
Sheikh Nahyan commended the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for championing the UAE's digital transformation, which is no longer merely an ambition but a reality. He pointed to the UAE's early adoption of AI governance, digital skills investment, and the creation of the world's first AI ministry as evidence of its proactive approach.
The minister highlighted advancements in 5G, AI, and cloud infrastructure as key catalysts reshaping sectors from healthcare to finance. However, he expressed concern about global volatility, including protectionist trade policies, which he warned posed risks to supply chains and emerging market growth.
He urged the region to strengthen innovation ecosystems, invest in future skills, and promote digital cooperation. Artificial intelligence, he noted, is the defining force of the era, but it is also fraught with ethical, security, and workforce challenges.
Throughout the day, the summit served as a platform for regional collaboration, reinforcing the need for unified digital progress and resilient infrastructure to foster a secure, inclusive digital future.
The UAE is actively pursuing digital transformation and technological advancements as part of its strategic initiatives. The country is focusing on growth in fintech, retail, and e-commerce sectors, with AI, blockchain, and sustainability playing pivotal roles in its business sectors. The UAE and US recently established a framework for advanced technology cooperation, and Microsoft and Core42 have announced plans for a sovereign AI cloud in the UAE. The GETS 2025 Summit in Abu Dhabi is set to address ethical and regulatory challenges in emerging technologies like AI, further signaling the UAE's commitment to digital innovation.
- The SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025, under the patronage of TDRA, encourages collaboration among policymakers, regulators, and tech leaders across South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
- Sheikh Nahyan, the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, advocates for a human-centric digital transformation across the region, highlighting it as a reality driven by the UAE's proactive approach and pioneering AI governance.
- The summit explores advancements in sectors such as healthcare and finance, with 5G, AI, and cloud infrastructure identified as key drivers of transformation.
- Global volatility, including protectionist trade policies, is a worry voiced by Sheikh Nahyan, warning of potential risks to supply chains and emerging market growth.
- To counter these challenges, the minister stresses the importance of strengthening innovation ecosystems, investing in future skills, and promoting digital cooperation.
- Artificial Intelligence, a defining force of the era, is fraught with ethical, security, and workforce issues, according to Sheikh Nahyan.
- The UAE, in its strategic initiatives, is focusing on fintech, retail, and e-commerce sectors, with AI, blockchain, and sustainability playing crucial roles in its business sectors.
- The UAE and US have established a framework for advanced technology cooperation, and Microsoft and Core42 have announced plans for a sovereign AI cloud in the UAE.
- The GETS 2025 Summit in Abu Dhabi aims to address ethical and regulatory challenges in emerging technologies like AI, further emphasizing the UAE's commitment to digital innovation and education-and-self-development for personal growth and business in data-and-cloud-computing and technology.
