NextFin news, Dubai, Sunday, September 21, 2025 – The UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism officially launched a national campaign titled 'The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World' aimed at strengthening Emirati entrepreneurship and boosting the real estate sector. The campaign was announced during a press conference in Dubai, with the participation of the UAE Council for Entrepreneurship and over 50 government and private entities.
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, emphasized that the campaign aligns with the UAE leadership’s vision to establish the country as a global hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. The initiative seeks to create an enabling environment for youth and entrepreneurs to launch and expand their ventures, contributing to the UAE’s goal of having over two million companies and 10 unicorns by 2031.
The campaign includes several key programs: training 10,000 Emiratis through an Entrepreneurship Programme; licensing 500 Emiratis to manage residential construction projects under the Project Management Experts Programme; supporting 250 Emiratis in establishing national real estate companies; and licensing 500 Emirati tax agents through a three-year training initiative. Additionally, it will launch the StartupEmirates.ae platform to attract entrepreneurs and create 30,000 jobs within five years.
Minister Al Marri highlighted that SMEs currently constitute 95% of active businesses in the UAE and contribute 63.5% to the non-oil GDP as of mid-2022. The campaign aims to further empower SMEs and entrepreneurs by improving access to federal procurement systems and fostering public-private-academic partnerships.
The UAE’s entrepreneurial ecosystem benefits from comprehensive strategies covering economic clusters, food security, innovation, intellectual property protection, and economic openness through partnership agreements. The country also offers a supportive legislative and regulatory framework, including 100% foreign ownership in most sectors and world-class infrastructure such as ports, airports, and road networks.
The campaign was launched under the oversight of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism in collaboration with the UAE Government Media Office and the UAE Council for Entrepreneurship. It reflects the UAE’s top ranking in the 2024-2025 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report for the fourth consecutive year and its recognition as the best destination for entrepreneurship and SMEs among 56 evaluated economies.
The launch event was attended by key government officials and representatives from various economic development departments across the seven emirates, underscoring a coordinated federal and local effort to support entrepreneurship and economic diversification.
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