Good vibes are infectious - and this couldn’t be truer than anywhere you go in the UAE today.
It’s not merely just about generating a good press. The UAE has - without sidestepping its responsibility to efficiently manage the pandemic - literally been on a rollercoaster ride of structural and regulatory reforms. Almost a dozen or more, if we keep count since the start of the pandemic - all of which have been well thought out to influence various spheres of public and personal lives.
Now, with the announcement of the ‘Projects of the 50’, the momentum is gradually diversifying its scope to further empower and inspire the nation’s people. Defining a mission is mostly seen as a very corporate thing, although the idea is borrowed from the goalsetting exercises that nations do from time to time.
In recent years though, few nations have matched the intensity and pace with which the UAE is overhauling itself to become a preferred global economy. There is a lot of doer mentality at play, in line with a kind of path commonly seen among legacy corporations known to regularly disrupt the market through a 360-degree reinvention. Tradition is key here - so is the future and the UAE is balancing both quite efficiently.
More than a helping hand
The trust that the UAE’s rulers are putting in the potential of the nation is spreading to business and investor circles as well. When the country’s top leaders show an intent to fight one of humanity’s biggest challenges while striving to move forward, it’s a call for businesses to think outward in terms of furthering their own goals.
We are seeing this shift in mentality among team members, and my conversations with various business leaders tell a similar story. Of companies and their people willingly taking on the responsibility to aim for something more extraordinary by riding on the huge social, economic and infrastructural benefits UAE offers.
Overcome all distractions
Manufacturing and trade have rebounded with full gusto, as have key areas of the non-oil economy such as retail and tourism that recently saw a slump. The country’s visa system and investor-friendly measures are trickling down to create a sense of entrepreneurship, competitiveness and purpose. This is leading to better attraction of global talent, better access to global investments, and better outreach of homegrown enterprises.
In the ‘Year of the 50th’, the announcements keep pouring in, and many more are expected in the fourth quarter. After nearly 18 months of despair and confusion, the UAE has made peace with the fact that the present is an ongoing period, and no amount of lamenting can change it.
With the right intent and planning, the future, starting today, can be a source of unbridled happiness. This mindset is obviously going to boost local innovation and provide jobs aplenty by bringing in more investment into the service sector, which is one of the biggest employers.
The Expo 2020 will be a fitting culmination of sorts to this growth mindset and the start of something special for a nation that acknowledges its past but has its sights firmly on the future.
