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The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) has concluded the 10th edition of its flagship ‘Arab Leadership and Government Excellence’ programme, which was held under the slogan ‘Innovation and Creativity in Government’ on March 1-5, 2020.

The programme seeks to empower Arab leaders to navigate contemporary challenges to government procedures, and upgrade corporate and government performance in the region. This year’s edition sought to train 22 government officials representing 13 government entities from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Participants were given the opportunity to hone their skills and expertise, enhance their decision-making abilities, and familiarise themselves with modern leadership and management tools, as well as international best practices in government. They were also introduced to the UAE Government’s trailblazing experience in that sector, exploring its success stories and opportunities for further development. 

MBRSG’s Executive President Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri said: “The ‘Arab Leadership and Government Excellence’ programme embodies the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership to promote collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and expertise with our strategic partners in Arab countries and around the world. It reflects our efforts at the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government to share our expertise in government administration and public policy, which, in turn, stems from our belief that the development of the Arab nation begins with upgrading governments, enhancing their ability to lead across various sectors, and improving our countries’ performance on global competitiveness indexes, driving comprehensive development and ensuring the prosperity of people around the region.”

“We are proud of the valuable takeaways from the 10th edition of the programme, and we are confident they will play a part in enhancing the government ecosystem in the Kingdom, training leaders who can set strategies and innovative policies to overcome obstacles and create room for growth and prosperity,” H.E. Al Marri added.

For his part, Prof. Raed Awamleh, Dean at MBRSG, said: “The success of this new edition of the programme reflects MBRSG’s commitment to designing advanced training courses that target leaders from the government and private sectors in the Arab world. We are committed to training and developing our academic staff, made up of both local and international lecturers, to achieve our mission and train outstanding government leaders and policymakers.”

Meanwhile, Aisha Sultan Al Shamsi, Director of Executive Education at MBRSG, asserted: “We are proud to be celebrating the 10th batch to graduate from the ‘Arab Leadership and Government Excellence’ programme, and look forward to further success in upcoming editions. We are dedicated to achieving success in all of our executive education programmes, offering innovative courses that are in line with the highest international standards. MBRSG is committed to spreading knowledge through our executive education programme, which has enrolled more than 8,500 participants from the UAE and around the Arab world.” 

The programme focused on a set of key topics through a comprehensive curriculum that promotes interaction and the exchange of expertise among the Saudi officials taking part, who represented 13 government entities, namely, the Ministries of Interior, Health, Justice, and Transportation, as well as the Vision Realization Office, Economic Cities Authorities, Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers, the National Industry and Logistics Development Programme, Madinah Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship, Madinah Award for Excellence in Government Performance, and Saudi AZM.

Event Agenda

The Agenda of the 10th edition of the Programme included workshops and field visits to various government and private entities in the UAE. Day one began with a workshop entitled ‘Strategic Direction and Future Governments’, led by Prof. Raed Awamleh, Dean of MBRSG, which discussed basic concepts of strategic direction and future forecasting, presenting scenarios and key features of the government of the future. Prof. Awamleh also directed a workshop entitled ‘Creative Leaders for a Sustainable Future’, highlighting qualified Emirati leaders and experts. It also shed light on the key elements of the UAE Government’s success – and the Government of Dubai, in particular – promoting corporate governance, creativity, and future forecasting. 

The third workshop was directed by Dr Ahmad Al Nusairat, former Coordinator General of Dubai Government Excellence Programme, under the title ‘Smart Governments Smart Services’. It focused on smart city studies and applications, as well as advanced technologies that support the government’s transition towards smart-city models. 

The Programme included several field visits, including the Future Foresight and Decision Support Centre – Dubai Police General Command, where participants met the Centre’s Director Dr Abdullah bin Sultan, who introduced them to the Centre’s role in driving the transition from reacting to future events to playing a proactive part in making these events and effecting change, in addition to raising the efficiency of police performance and providing the information, indicators and options available for decision making.

After the visit, Dr bin Sultan gave a lecture entitled ‘Forecasting and Shaping the Future’, where he covered a ‘List of 10 Imperatives that Could Change our Lives’, as well as ‘Future Accelerators – How They Work and How Successful Are They in Accelerating Government Operations’. Several visits were organised on the side lines of the Programme to introduce participants to global best practices in management and government. The first destination was DP World, which is a pioneer in global trade and an integral part of the global supply chain, where attendees explored a case study on supply chain management. 

During the visit to the Jebel Ali area, participants explored various cutting-edge industries as well as the UAE’s strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which aims to cement the UAE’s position as a global 4IR hub, establishing a competitive national knowledge economy. The third visit was to the UAE flag carrier Emirates Airline, which is one of the best in the world, where participants were introduced to the digital transition taking place in the aviation industry.

The final day of the Programme included a visit to the Dubai Executive Council to examine the emirate’s experience in government excellence. Attendees were greeted by H.E. Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of the Dubai Executive Council, and H.E. Dr Hazza Al Nuaimi, General Coordinator of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme. 

Dr Al Nuaimi discussed the various categories of the programme, which covers most administrative and technical tasks across the Dubai Government, classifying entities and individuals according to their accomplishments in order to promote equal opportunities among all employees.

The last visit was to the Roads and Transport Authority, where the delegation was received by H.E. Nasser Hamad Khalifa Abu Shehab, RTA’s Executive Director of Strategy and Corporate Governance, who showcased Dubai’s experience in monitoring the transport sector and managing traffic, shedding light on the world-class systems adopted by the emirate to reduce congestion and secure transportation for Dubai’s residents.

Participating Officials

Participants praised the programme for enriching their expertise, where Dr Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Abdo from the Vision Realization Office at the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said his participation in the programme was a unique experience that broadened his horizons and government administration skills with lectures and field trips across the Emirate of Dubai, noting that he will be using the skills he learned to upgrade Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom, using advanced technologies to facilitate them. 

Meanwhile, Marwan Muhammad Malibari, Director of Strategy and Corporate Performance at the Vision Realization Office of the Saudi Ministry of Justice, said: “The programme stands out for providing access to the experiences of Dubai Government leaders, who have been pioneers in government administration. It also allowed us to explore many of the challenges facing us in the Kingdom, proposing effective solutions for them.”

Malibari asserted that he will be working to transfer his knowledge, expertise, and solutions, noting that the UAE’s experience offered an incentive for enhancing corporate performance in the Kingdom and ensuring its competitiveness.

For his part, Saud Alrumaih, Strategic Planning Director at the Saudi Ministry of Transport, said that the programme helped attending Saudi Government officials develop a clear and holistic vision regarding the government system in the UAE. “The field trips and lectures allowed us to closely examine the best plans and strategies to upgrade government performance,” he said, noting that the programme allowed him to cultivate friendships with officials in various Dubai Government entities, with whom he plans to maintain constant communication.