The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) – the first research and teaching institution focusing on governance and public policy in the Arab world – has concluded the ninth edition of the Arab Leadership and Government Excellence Programme, which was titled “Innovation and Creativity in Government”.
Held in cooperation with the Madinah Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship “MILE”, the Programme seeks to empower promising future Arab leaders to deal with modern challenges facing governments. It explores contemporary leadership and management tools, as well as government best practices from around the world and from the UAE, in particular. The ninth edition was attended by 32 promising government leaders from Saudi Arabia, representing various government and academic sectors; participants took part in workshops, lectures, and extensive field trips over the course of five days, where the topics revolved around the future of government work.
MBRSG’s Executive President His Excellency Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri said: “The UAE and Saudi Arabia have a common vision towards developing and upgrading government work by building capacities, investing in human capital, and working to forecast the future of Government through sound strategic planning. This programme offers an important platform to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise, and an opportunity to shed light on the UAE’s outstanding experience in government.”
H.E. Al Marri led the first workshop titled “Strategic Direction and Forecasting the Future”, presenting the UAE’s strategy to forecast the future and ensure the early detection of opportunities and challenges in vital sectors. Meanwhile, Professor Raed Awamleh, MBRSG’s Dean, presented a session titled “Creative Leaderships for a Sustainable Future”, which sought to identify the essential elements that have allowed the UAE government – and the Dubai government, in particular – to excel. In a third workshop, titled “Smart Governments, Smart Services”, MBRSG’s Director of Research and Advisory Fadi Salem highlighted the important role that the government sector plays in supporting sustainable growth and developing cities.
Dr Aisha Sultan Al Shamsi, Director of the Executive Education Programme at MBRSG, said: “The Arab Leadership and Government Excellence Programme offers a practical and integrated approach that conveys the UAE’s successful governmental experience in a series of training workshops and field visits, which creates a unique experience for participants to helps them hone their skills and experience with government and corporate operations.”
The Programme’s agenda also included extensive field visits to various federal and local government entities, most notably the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), and the Federal Accelerators Programme.
Dr Ehab Malibari, General Supervisor of Initiatives Management and Vision Achievement Office at Saudi Arabia’s Umm Al-Qura University, and a participant in the Programme, said: “I am happy to be joining the ‘Arab Leadership and Government Excellence’ Programme, which introduced me to strategic planning and future forecasting instruments. Furthermore, the field visits were exceptionally beneficial, especially the visit to Dubai Courts, where we were introduced to the seven-star rating system and to the outstanding services that UAE government agencies have come to offer.”
The participants also took part in a series of lectures, workshops, and field visits, which included a visit to the Dubai Future Foundation’s Innovation Labs to explore the concept of future forecasting in the government sector, as well as a visit to the Innovation Hall at the Rashid Medical Library Auditorium of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
