Today's Edition
MAITHAM AL ANBARI (DUBAI)
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) introduced the “Leaders of Finance” initiative as part of the “Youth Financial Advisors” Programme.
The “Leaders of Finance” initiative seeks to empower a chosen group of Emirati youth by providing them with practical, integrated experience within the government’s financial system, equipping them with the expertise and skills necessary to take on influential leadership positions in public finance. It also intends to satisfy the demands of the national economy and enhance the UAE’s competitiveness on a global scale.
Younis Haji AlKhoori, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, in an exclusive interview with Aletihad, discussed the aims and objectives of the initiative. The following are the excerpts from the interview:
Q: The Ministry of Finance launched the “Leaders of Finance” initiative to build a financially literate generation of Emirati youth as part of the Young Financial Advisors Programme. Could you please elaborate on this point?
A: The “Leaders of Finance” initiative is one of the Ministry of Finance’s flagship programmes designed to support its vision of developing a national generation capable of leading the future of public financial management in the UAE. The initiative falls under the Young Financial Advisors Programme, which focuses on training and empowering young Emirati talents by equipping them with advanced financial, accounting, and analytical skills, in line with the objectives of “We the UAE 2031”, which seeks to enhance the nation’s global competitiveness in financial efficiency and economic sustainability.
The main goal of the initiative is to raise financial awareness among young Emiratis and encourage them to gain a deeper understanding of public financial administration, starting from preparing the federal budget, to planning public expenditure, and evaluating financial performance, as well as overseeing the efficient management of resources. The programme allows participants to gain field exposure within the Ministry, enabling them to interact with professional staff and acquire hands-on experience in financial decision-making within established government frameworks.
Furthermore, the initiative represents a strategic step towards localising government financial expertise, transferring the Ministry of Finance's accumulated institutional expertise to a new generation of young financial advisors who will play a vital role in strengthening the nation’s financial sector in the years ahead.
Through this initiative, the Ministry ensures that training goes beyond theoretical education. It is an integrated learning experience combining practical training, technical awareness, and exposure to the reality of financial and economic policies.
In addition, the initiative focuses on strengthening the spirit of leadership and national responsibility among youth by highlighting the Ministry’s pivotal role in supporting the stability of the national economy and ensuring the efficiency of public spending.
The “Leaders of Finance” initiative is not merely a training programme, but rather a national project to build young financial leaders endowed with a forward-looking vision and strong institutional awareness, capable of contributing to the UAE’s comprehensive development goals.
Q: How does the initiative help young people broaden their career prospects and develop their skills? And could you tell us about the Ministry’s future plans to empower youth?
A: With regard to the Ministry’s future plans, he said that the “Leaders of Finance” initiative seeks to open new horizons for young Emiratis through specialised training programmes that allow direct interaction with financial experts and practitioners in the Ministry, providing them with close exposure to the environment of public financial management. The initiative offers opportunities to enhance skills in financial analysis, strategic planning, and data-driven management, strengthening their readiness to join government institutions in the near future.
In the long term, the Ministry of Finance places youth empowerment among its strategic priorities, working continuously to design capacity-building programmes in financial management, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence in finance, in collaboration with its partners from both the public and private sectors. The Ministry is currently exploring expanding these programmes to cover multiple levels of professional training and qualification, keeping pace with global financial developments and the requirements of the future digital economy.
Q: The initiative aims to equip young Emiratis with practical experience in public finance to prepare them for leadership positions and enhance the UAE’s global competitiveness. What specific skills or expertise will the initiative provide?
A: The “Leaders of Finance” initiative provides participants with an integrated set of skills, including:
Financial and accounting analysis and along with the skills to prepare and implement general budgets.
Strategic financial awareness aligned with the country’s economic policies.
Proficiency in digital transformation within public finance and the use of smart systems for accounting and resource management.
The ability to analyse financial data to support evidence-based government decision-making.
A solid understanding of financial governance and risk management principles to ensure transparency, efficiency, and sustainability in financial operations.
Additionally, the initiative also focuses on developing leadership and innovation skills, preparing young people to assume supervisory and managerial positions in the future and to contribute effectively to advancing the efficiency and sustainability of the federal financial system.
Q: Can you share the total number of participants? Will this programme be organised annually? And what are the key outcomes?
A: More than 20 young Emirati men and women from various financial and economic disciplines participated in the programme. They were selected based on criteria that ensured their readiness to benefit from the programme and their ability to apply their skills within the government financial system.
The Ministry is currently studying the possibility of organising the programme on an annual basis, given the strong interest it received and the high-quality results it achieved.
The programme has proven effective in enhancing financial awareness and building a solid knowledge base in public financial management at the federal, local, and international levels.
Q: What is the importance of external visits to local departments of finance and international financial institutions within the programme, and how do they enhance the participants’ experience in the Leaders of Finance initiative?
A: External visits play a vital role in fuelling the participants’ learning journey by providing direct exposure to leading financial and administrative practices applied both locally and globally.”
He revealed that participants visited Departments of Finance in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the International Finance Corporation, and the World Bank Group, to explore advanced models in budgeting, revenue management, financial oversight, and digital transformation.
