Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
On the sidelines of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization on Wednesday, the Department of Economic Development- Abu Dhabi hosted a panel discussion for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), titled “Innovation and Digital Transformation”, to discuss the most pressing issues in digitalising processes for SME’s.
The event started with an introduction by Pamela Coke Pamela Rosemarie Coke-Hamilton, the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC), who noted the benefits of establishing digitalised platforms for various sectors to ease business procedures, especially for SMEs. She also remarked on the importance of facilitating trade for SMEs, which she said requires the collaboration of the public and private sectors.
“I think the UAE is a leader in terms of how it facilitates SMEs,” she noted.
Coke-Hamilton also stressed the need to empower women, people in need, refugees, and indigenous groups to build and sustain businesses through e-platforms.
Starting the panel session, Raed Safadi, the Executive Director of Whiteshield, emphasised the necessity of looking at the bigger picture of embracing the digital transformation, highlighting the challenges faced by the finance and business sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Antonio Feraco, Senior Advisor of Industrial Strategy at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said: “What drives the success of the market is the business success stories”.
He highlighted the urgency of submitting a clear logistic plan in terms of digital integration,
adding that digitalisation makes companies more visible, allowing businesses to upskill talents by
using the full potential of technology, as in “past years, there was a gap between governments,
universities, and companies”.
Dr Sarah Meinerat, Head of Knowledge at DHL Group, emphasised the opportunities that the digital world provides to SMEs, stating: “Digitalisation helps to open the windows to the international market; that supports business sustainability”.
Richard Fattal, co-founder and COO of Zencargo, emphasised the significance of building a clear
vision and mission for SMEs.
He noted that digitalisation can provide better visibility or communications for SMEs, which in
turn can lead to more sustainable financial outcomes. “You need to be ready for change around the
corner, to plug in AI tools, because AI is a new area that leads to outsize the gains and the losses of
global competitive trade,” he said.
Amel Chadli, Gulf Countries President at Schneider Electric, said that SMEs could reduce operational costs through digitalisation and noted that digital integration creates greater visibility for small businesses and improves customer satisfaction. She advised the audience “to collaborate, to be
open, and to ask for help whenever is needed”
