DUBAI: More than 700 “experts of the future’ will lay out their vision of what the world may look like in 2030 today, as a key World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting begins in Dubai.
The annual meeting of the global future councils sets the agenda for the big WEF gathering that takes place in the Swiss town of Davos in January.
It comes as Gulf economies, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, race to invest in disruptive technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and blockchain, to position themselves in anticipation of what WEF-goers know as the coming “fourth industrial revolution.”
“We are looking for the answers to the question of the future,” said Mohammed Abdulla Al-Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, at the opening of the event, which he also co-chairs.
Gulf states are seeking to add high value jobs in new technologies as they emerge from decades of dependence on generating income from selling oil.
Such revenues are increasingly under threat – both from cheaper sources of shale oil and gas that have become easier to extract – as well as investments in new forms of renewable energy that is weighing on demand for heating oil and gasoline worldwide.
The region is also grappling with the paradox of finding work for a rapidly growing and youthful population – whose job prospects are being threatened by many of the disruptive technologies in which some Gulf economies have become key investors.
Al-Gergawi told the opening of the meeting in Dubai today that such changes could be a force for good despite the challenges they sometimes represent.
“Amid the changes that are taking place, changes that affect us all as global citizens, we should be able to turn them into opportunities,” he said.
“Successful countries have been able to transform that to positive change in vital areas.”
The event is taking place against a backdrop of mounting regional tension, with a political crisis unfolding in Lebanon, an ongoing boycott of Qatar by four of its regional neighbors and a crackdown on corruption in Saudi Arabia that has seen the arrest of several prominent businesspeople.
The WEF gathering in Dubai will compile work from more than 30 individual working groups that will be thrashed out at the group’s Davos meeting – the theme of which will be “Creating a shared future in a fractured world.”
700 future-gazers talk robots and revolutions at World Economic Forum in Dubai
700 future-gazers talk robots and revolutions at World Economic Forum in Dubai
UNCTAD, Social Development Bank launch fellowship to power Saudi entrepreneurs
RIYADH: The Social Development Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding with UN Trade and Development to launch the “Empretec Saudi Fellowship,” a new initiative aimed at equipping high-potential Saudi entrepreneurs with advanced training and tools to scale their ventures.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the second edition of the DeveGo 2025 forum, held on Dec. 21–22 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh. The event brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, and representatives from regional and international organizations, alongside public and private sector leaders.
Featuring more than 150 exhibitors, 85 speakers, and 45 workshops, the forum focused on sharing local and global best practices and strengthening the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Empretec Saudi Fellowship is part of UNCTAD’s flagship capacity-building program to promote entrepreneurship and support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and startups. Active in more than 40 countries, the program seeks to develop personal entrepreneurial behaviors through intensive training, access to international experts, and technical tools that help transform promising ideas into scalable, high-impact businesses.
Rebeca Grynspan, UNCTAD secretary-general, said Saudi Arabia offers fertile ground for entrepreneurial growth.
“Saudi Arabia has a wonderful platform to bring everybody up, and the entrepreneurs here are so eager. They have ideas, creativity, and energy,” she told Arab News. “If they come through our program with the Social Development Bank, which does a wonderful job, they will be more successful — because that’s what we want.”
In his opening remarks, Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi, who also chairs the SDB board, highlighted the rapid evolution of the Kingdom’s startup landscape.
“The Kingdom is witnessing a qualitative transformation in the entrepreneurship and freelance ecosystem, enabling young men and women to enter new promising sectors such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, advanced technologies, and venture capital,” he said. “This provides broader opportunities to contribute to innovation, expansion, and global competitiveness.”
During a tour of the exhibition alongside Al-Rajhi, Grynspan met a wide range of small and medium-sized businesses and handicraft makers, praising the depth of local talent. She noted that participants spanned the full spectrum of enterprises — from early-stage ventures to more established and sophisticated companies — reflecting a rich diversity of experience.
Al-Rajhi said the Social Development Bank invests more than SR8 billion annually to support enterprises and entrepreneurs, helping raise employment in bank-financed businesses from about 12,000 in 2021 to more than 140,000 in 2025.
Beyond financing, the bank runs several non-financial programs, including the Jada 30 business communities, which have incubated more than 4,300 enterprises across 13 cities, and the Dulani Business Center, which has delivered over 67,000 consultations benefiting more than 150,000 male and female entrepreneurs.
Speaking on the broader economic outlook, Grynspan added: “This is a wonderful place to come. Now is an economy that is thriving, is a population that is hopeful. And you have these young, talented people that are only waiting for an opportunity to make it happen for everybody.”
During the forum, the bank also signed multiple cooperation agreements spanning key sectors such as finance, education, energy, healthcare, heritage, the nonprofit sector, and freelance work. The partnerships align with SDB’s strategy to build an integrated system of financial and non-financial empowerment tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs, startups, and micro-enterprises.
