Sultan Al Mansoori announced Board of Trustees to Govern ICT Development Fund

To govern the Middle East's first ICT Development Fund, a pioneering initiative aimed at developing the UAE's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

H.E. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Governmental Sector Development and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Supervision of the Telecommunications Sector, said:

"The ICT sector in the UAE has developed and grown tremendously in the past three decades due to the phenomenal performance and expertise of UAE IT and telecommunications companies, and serves not only the people of the UAE but also those in neighbouring countries. And now it is time to invest in R& D, in order to support this vital sector".

"The UAE has provided pioneering models in the field of telecommunication services and has entered a new phase with the introduction of competition in the domestic market. The knowledge and experience of the new board of trustees will ensure effective use of the ICT Development Fund to facilitate the further growth of the sector through partnerships and investments in scientific research and innovative communications technologies that will help the UAE maintain its leading edge in this rapidly changing, sophisticated digital era., especially when the Board of Trustees of ICT Fund has field experts from TRA, Telecom operators, and representatives from both public and private sectors" Al Mansoori added.

Al Mansoori added by saying: "The provision of a world-class competitive telecommunications infrastructure is crucial to the economic development of a country, as this forms the backbone of all economic, commercial and social activities. The wide-ranging expertise of the Fund's new trustees will go a long way in achieving the goals set in the UAE general policy for the telecommunications sector, and develop the UAE as the region's IT and telecom hub. We hope that the rich expertise of the Board of Trustees of UAE ICT Fund will achieve the already announced national telecom policy in UAE, and puts on its priority the development of ICT sector and positioning UAE as a strategic R&D hub."

H.E. Ahmed Hameed Al Mazroui, a Managing Director, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC) representative has been appointed chairman of the board of trustees for the fund. The rest of the membership include H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of the TRA in UAE, Nasser Abdullah Mohammed Salem from Etisalat, Fareed Abdul Rahim Mohammed Fraidooni from DU, Abdul Rahman Jarrar, Regional Manager for Government Affairs, Intel Middle East; Dr Abdullah Saad Al Khanbashi, UAE University Vice Chancellor; Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi Deputy Director of Etisalat College of Engineering; Dr Tayyeb Aman Allah Kamali from UAE Higher Colleges of Technology and Jassem Mohammed Obaid Al Za'abi of Mubadala Development Company.

The aims and objectives of this fund is to develop the ICT industry, encourage R&D and innovation in ICT, promote education and knowledge in ICT through sponsorships and financial support, organizing and sponsoring ICT forums, symposiums, conferences and seminars, entering into international affiliation with Foreign R&D establishments in addition to any other requirements requested by the Telecom Supreme Committee.

The corpus of the ICT Development Fund is made up of one per cent of the annual revenues earned by primary licensed operators, Etisalat and "Du", in addition to government and private grants, returns from investments, income from patents and other intellectual property derived from the Fund's projects. The trustees will be responsible for utilising these resources to sponsor, organise and collaborate in initiatives that will develop the ICT industry, foster research and development, encourage capacity building and promote education and training in the sector.