UAE on track to be the global creative economy hub

UAE on track to be the global creative economy hub

Considering the recent financial difficulties, few would have predicted making a sizable investment in culture and the arts would be high on any government’s agenda. However, major Middle East economies including the UAE have been working to regain momentum by spending billions of dollars in the creative industry to boost tourism and spur growth. This includes creative districts, museums, art galleries and heritage sites. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled a 10-year National Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries in 2021 with the goal of increasing the two sectors’ GDP share from 2.6 per cent at the end of 2020 to 5 per cent during the next ten years. This plan is the first of its kind in the Arab world and aims to grow the two industries so they rank among the top 10 most important economic sectors. Speaking exclusively to GN Focus, Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, says, “The UAE has been aggressively pushing this agenda to make culture a key sector in its socioeconomic growth. Diversification of the economy is an ongoing process in our endeavour to have