An important aspect of EDC's activities has been to build the capabilities of firms so that they are competitive in the global economy. At the same time EDC has sought to make firms aware of export opportunities in foreign markets.
EDC's internal research showed that firms do not enter the export arena because they perceive lack of information to be a huge problem. In response to the considerable lack of export skills in the sector and to provide appropriate information EDC established the Dubai Export Academy.
The aim of the Academy is to enhance the exporting skills of UAE firms so as to ensure that they become successful in expanding into foreign markets. As the only Centre of Excellence dedicated purely to export related knowledge, it seeks to provide a unique combination of practical on the ground information of foreign markets with generic export related management knowledge.
Engineer Saed Al Awadi, the CEO of EDC, commented, "We at EDC strongly believe that practical export knowledge is vital to the future success of the emirate's firms and economy."
EDC has announced its 2010 Quarter 4 series of seminars which starts on 29th September 2010. The series of seminars is sponsored by Axa Insurance which is one of the leading global insurance provider.
Alexis de Beauregard, Chief Officer-Marketing and Retail Product Offering at AXA Insurance Gulf, stated, "AXA is delighted to partner with the EDC. AXA's Cargo Plus product provides a wide range of covers along with sophisticated service and expertise. We are happy to assist UAE exporters in entering foreign markets, giving them advice and protecting their business interests."
The seminars are also sponsored by DHL Express the leading global courier express company. Frank-Uwe Ungerer, Country Manager for DHL Express, commented, "We are very excited to partner with EDC as it further more allows us to share our knowledge and expertise in the express logistics sector covering 220 locations worldwide with UAE's SME exporting community."
The media partner to the series of seminars is Khaleej times the well read newspaper in the UAE. Each Wednesday, starting 29th September 2010, for five weeks the Academy will be hosting seminars that look at export opportunities in Europe - Germany, India, Jordan, Southern Africa as well as Singapore and the Far East.
The Dubai Export Academy has already held a number of successful courses which have been well received by the business community. Nadia Saeed from Lacnor who attended the previous seminars commented, "The seminars not only provided valuable insight and a better understanding of procedures, rules and regulations of the importing countries but also provided a great networking opportunity with other exporters so as to learn from their experiences."
The Academy also assists firms in developing appropriate export strategies because its experience shows that in today's competitive business environment it is not just about having a great product but knowing how to get it into foreign markets in a profitable and sustainable manner.
The Academy capitalises on the experiences of successful companies that have penetrated foreign markets through sharing their experiences with other firms. Mohammed Sagherji from AW Rostamani Lumina and a past participant at the seminars commented, "We gained a lot of information and knowledge about export opportunities to several countries and as a result of this we are entering some of these markets."