- Over 82,000 Emiratis working in the private and financial sectors.
- Over 61,000 Nafis’ beneficiaries.
- Ghannam Al Mazrouei: The ETCC and the Nafis program’s accomplishments are not only reflected by numbers, but are also a result of the various supporting strategic decisions and achievements.
- Ayesha Belharfia: Nafis” has been a major contributor in raising Emiratisation rates in the private sector and enhancing the participation of the Emirati workforce in the UAE’s economic development.
The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (ETCC) has celebrated the second anniversary of the launch of the Nafis program, which succeeded in positively impacting the Emiratisation drive with over 82,000 Emiratis currently employed in the private and financial sectors across more than 17,000 companies.
Of the 82,000+ UAE nationals working in the private sector, 52,000 have joined since the launch of the program.
Over the past couple of years, Nafis’ online platform, with currently around 11,000 partners from the private sector registered, has contributed to offering over 32,000 job opportunities to UAE nationals, and over 61,000 Emiratis are currently benefiting from Nafis’ support and initiatives.
His Excellency Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council praised the extent of the achievements seen over a short period of time which “was a result of the wise leadership’s continuous support on the Emiratisation mandate”, highlighting that the Council’s Board of Directors, led by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, and their Excellencies Members of the Board of Directors, has played a “significant role in the achievements and success seen in Emiratisation by continuously and diligently following-up on progress and providing the necessary means to overcome any obstacles.”
Al Mazrouei also expressed his deep appreciation to all of Nafis’ strategic partners, from the government, semi-government and private sector, as well as Council’s employees for playing an important part in the accomplishments achieved thus far.
He added: “The ETCC and the Nafis program’s accomplishments are not only reflected by numbers, but are also a result of the various supporting strategic decisions and achievements that support the Council’s objectives, including the introduction of a number of amendments since the launch of ‘Nafis’ to enhance flexibility and keep pace with the development of the UAE’s job market, by reviewing regulations, policies, eligibility requirements and the scope of coverage, as well as issuing and implementing decisions that serve UAE nationals in the private sector with the aim of expanding the program’s benefits to include the largest possible number of UAE nationals.
“We have also lunched a number of supporting initiatives, including the annual Nafis Award which aims to encourage and honor distinguished individuals and companies, in addition to the Nafis Youth Council initiative, which acts as a bridge for direct and effective communication with youth and the community, and the Nafis Leadership Program, which provides the necessary support to qualified Emirati talent to assume leadership positions in the private sector”.
His Excellency stressed that the private sector is considered a “vital and strategic partner,” noting the Council’s direction during the coming period to “increase cooperation efforts with the private sector to develop the capabilities of the Emirati workforce and enable them to further contribute to the UAE’s economic development and successes.”
Al Mazrouei added that the real achievement is the increased interest of UAE nationals to work in the private sector and willingness to excel, adding that “this interest among our youth to seize job opportunities in private sector establishments is a clear indication of the positive shift of views towards the private sector, acknowledging the advantages it offers and the success stories of their fellow nationals working across various fields”.
His Excellency also called on young nationals working in the private sector and those searching for a job opportunity to visit and register on the Nafis platform, where they can learn about and benefit from Nafis’ various offerings.
Her Excellency Ayesha Belharfia, Acting Undersecretary for Emiratisation Affairs and Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said: “We congratulate our Emirati talents on Nafis’ second year anniversary and for the outstanding economic and social advancements it has achieved in the country. The program has contributed to increasing the number of Emiratis working in the private sector, in alignment with our Emiratisation objectives of achieving a semi-annual growth rate of 1%, to reach 2% by the end of the year. This success has put great emphasis on the role of Emirati talent in our nation’s economic advancement, mirroring the Ministry’s goals to empower and qualify the Emirati workforce.”
Two Years of Success:
Since its inception, the program launched two bundles of initiatives. The first focuses on providing financial support, including the Emirati Salary Support Scheme, the Unemployment Program, Child Allowances for Emiratis working in the private sector, in addition to the Pension Program, on-the-job training opportunities, and financial support for the Talent Program and Fazaa card.
The second bundle of initiatives, launched in March 2022, focused on training programs, such as the Talent Program and National Healthcare Program, in addition to the Career Counselling Program, which were implemented through extensive partnerships with leading academic institutions across the UAE and institutions specialised in training.
Nafis has also recently launched the Nafis Leadership Program, which aims to develop the leadership skills of UAE nationals in the private sector.
