Under the partnership with FAHR, the business incubators will support employees who obtain entrepreneurship leave for self-employment and enhance their entrepreneurial skills and capacities, enabling them to benefit from available financing options and privileges provided by these institutions and incubators. In addition, employees will be provided with guidance during their leave by professionals from the different sectors, and with the opportunity to build feasible business relationships.

Al Roumi stressed that the new partnerships would enrich the Initiative, by empowering employees and supplying them with professional support in the field of entrepreneurship. It would help them establish their leading projects and accelerate their growth, therefore, increasing their contributions to the national economy. She also highlighted FAHR’s keenness to forge diverse partnerships to advance the projects of employees who are on the entrepreneurship leave for self-employment, equip them with entrepreneurial skills and provide them with the environment needed to transform their creative ideas into successful projects.

H.E. Laila Obaid Al Suwaidi, Acting Director-General of FAHR, signed the agreements with H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Nuaimi, Acting Director-General of the Ajman Department of Economic Development; H.E.  Alia Al Mazrouei, CEO of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development; H.E. Hamad Ali Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Director of the Sharjah Foundation for Pioneering Entrepreneurship (Rowad); H.E. Maryam Musabah Al Kibali, Director of the Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Supporting Youth Projects, and Sultan Al Falahi, Member of the Board of Directors of Dubai Consultancy.

Laila Al Suwaidi said that the strategic partnerships with the business incubators and institutions are part of FAHR’s efforts to ensure the best implementation of the Initiative for its employees, to help employees develop their entrepreneurial capacitates, and to support them in establishing and managing businesses.   

H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Nuaimi said: The entrepreneurship leave for self-employment encourages national employees to establish and manage their own projects, to promote the national economic growth, and develops the citizens’ technical skills. This in turn will achieve positive outcomes on the local economy in the future and improve the quality of life.

H.E.  Alia Abdullah Al Mazrouei indicated that the employees’ devotion to their projects will give them the opportunity to closely follow-up projects, enhance the gains and address deficiencies, and ensure the maximum potentials for the project success. She further pointed out that this Initiative fills any possible gaps in a specific aspect of the economic projects and creates new job opportunities.

H.E. Hamad Ali Abdullah Al-Mahmoud explained that the Initiative raises the competitiveness of national talents, and enhances their potentials to join pioneering fields, through establishing and managing their own projects, which constitute a qualitative addition to the national economy and create new opportunities.

H.E. Maryam Musabeh Al-Kibali identified the Initiative as a qualitative leap that serves the efforts to develop small and medium enterprises and encourages the entrepreneurship culture. Such Initiative complements the significant support provided by the wise Government to its citizens, through the programs of supporting and developing national youth projects. She also highlighted that the Initiative provides opportunity to explore the facilities offered by the national institutions, programs and laws that provide an attractive environment for innovators; to turn their creative ideas into an achievement, in a way that ensures the growth and sustainability of the SMEs sector, and enhances its competitiveness.

Sultan Al-Falahi stated that the Initiative constitutes a great opportunity for the federal government national employees to explore the opportunities offered by the private sector. It also promotes continuous learning and develops their self-employment capabilities to launch their projects with high efficiency.

The entrepreneurship leave for self-employment includes Emirati employees working in federal government authorities. It is granted to employees intending to establish or manage their economic projects for a period of one year with pay. It represents a qualitative addition and a motive for the establishment of pioneering projects and businesses that boost economy, and support efforts to empower national competencies, build their capacities and enhance their skills in various fields.

FAHR has developed a Guideline for the entrepreneurship leave for self-employment, which regulates the mechanisms and procedures of the initiative. It has cooperated with the ministries of economy and human resources and Emiratization to create a detailed manual for the economic projects and establishments, which will help boost the national economy. The Manual includes details that help entities duly examine their employees' requests for leave for self-employment.

FAHR explained the controls, conditions and procedures that support federal entities in evaluating leave requests for self-employment, as well as in upgrading the approved electronic systems for human resources used by the federal government. It has also coordinated with the Ministry of Finance to update approved electronic systems for budgets and salaries.

National employees of the federal government can learn about the conditions and requirements for obtaining the entrepreneurship leave for self-employment through FAHR website: www.fahr.gov.ae .