Dubai, UAE, 25 February 2021: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) organised the ‘Future Next’ conference to discuss the role of innovation in shaping the UAE’s future in the next 50 years. This was part of DEWA Innovation Week, which is in line with ‘UAE Innovates,’ the national event that celebrates innovation across the UAE.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, inaugurated the conference, which was attended by H.E. Abdulla Al Saleh Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade & Industry, and HE Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation. A number of officials and innovators from the UAE and abroad participated in the conference, as well as around 1,000 participants from local government and private organisations.
“The ‘Future Next’ conference is part of DEWA’s efforts to support the vision and directives of the wise leadership to provide an environment that encourages creativity in all sectors. This has helped the UAE make numerous global achievements, the latest of which is the successful arrival of the ‘Hope Probe’ to the Martian orbit, which has consolidated the UAE’s pioneering position in space and promoted its role as a regional hub for developing space sciences and technology. Last month, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched DEWA’s space programme, Space-D, which aims to use space technologies to enhance the electricity and water networks. The project features the launch of a primary satellite equipped with the latest imaging and satellite communication technologies, which will take place in conjunction with Expo 2020 Dubai,” said Al Tayer in his keynote speech.
“At DEWA, we place innovation at the top of our priorities to achieve government plans and strategies. These include the National Innovation Strategy to make the UAE one of the most innovative countries globally and embark on a new phase that promotes innovation among individuals and businesses. It also aims to focus on sectors that will lead innovation in the future, including renewable and clean energy; as well as the Dubai Innovation Strategy to make Dubai the most innovative city in the world. DEWA has established the Innovation Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to support innovation and creativity in all areas of clean and renewable energy, raise awareness about sustainability, and enhance national capacity. The Centre’s research papers support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 that aims to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050,” added Al Tayer.
Al Tayer said that adopting innovation across all its sectors has helped DEWA become one of the most prominent utilities in the world. Through Digital DEWA, its digital arm, DEWA is disrupting the entire business of public utilities by becoming the world’s first digital utility to use autonomous systems for renewable energy and storage, while expanding the use of Artificial Intelligence and digital services.
“While we feel proud of DEWA’s achievements, we pledge to our wise leadership to continue developing unique experiences that enhance the happiness of all stakeholders and contribute to making Dubai the happiest and smartest city in the world. We will also work to make this year, which marks the Golden Jubilee of the UAE, the starting point for the UAE towards more progress, growth and prosperity. We will work to innovate proactive solutions for the challenges over the next 50 years to achieve the vision of the wise leadership to make the UAE the world’s leading nation by its Centennial in 2071,” concluded Al Tayer.
H.E. Abdulla Al Saleh Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade & Industry, talked about the ‘Innovation Journey over the Past 50 Years.’ HE Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, talked about ‘50 years of Innovation.’ The conference also featured a panel discussion titled Innovation and Digital DEWA. Panellists included Dr. Ali Alsuwaidi, Senior Manager – Innovation Discovery & Partnership at DEWA; Hamad Karam, Chief Operating Officer at DigitalX, and Rashid Alahmadi, Chief Operating Officer at InfraX.
Mohammad Bin Sulaiman, CEO of Moro Data Hub, spoke about Moro’s key services. Frank Buytendijk, Distinguished VP- Analyst Gartner, spoke about Digital Ethics. Faisal Malik, Chief Technology Officer, Huawei Middle East Enterprise Business Group, spoke on ‘Connect Now & Future: InfraX and Huawei agile win-win partnership’. Basil Ayass, Regional Sales Director, Middle East- Google, spoke on ‘How Cloud Computing and AI empower every enterprise to transform their business for a Digital Future’. Arjun Vir Singh, Associate Director at ADL, gave a presentation entitled ‘Emergence of Digital Platforms and Ecosystems.’ Aysha Mohammad Alremeithi, Senior Engineer – Innovation Ecosystem at DEWA tackled the role of youth and innovation.