The National ICV Programme, launched in 2021, has contributed significantly to the UAE’s economy. Mona Al-Marzooqi / The National Section: Weekend
The National ICV Programme, launched in 2021, has contributed significantly to the UAE’s economy. Mona Al-Marzooqi / The National Section: Weekend
The National ICV Programme, launched in 2021, has contributed significantly to the UAE’s economy. Mona Al-Marzooqi / The National Section: Weekend
The National ICV Programme, launched in 2021, has contributed significantly to the UAE’s economy. Mona Al-Marzooqi / The National Section: Weekend

UAE cuts in-country value certification fee for SMEs


Fareed Rahman
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE has reduced the fee for certain small and medium enterprises to obtain a national in-country value certificate as it seeks to create an attractive business environment for local and international investors and support the growth of national industries.

The reduced fee will apply to companies registered in the National Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises, according to the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and the Ministry of Economy.

The fee for the National ICV certificate has been cut to Dh500 ($136.14), MoIAT said in a statement on Tuesday.

The National ICV Programme, launched in 2021, redirects spending into the UAE economy. It enhances the competitiveness of UAE products in regional and international markets, attracts foreign investments, supports the UAE’s Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) programme and incentivises the technological transformation of the industrial sector.

Last year, the programme redirected Dh53 billion into the economy, a 25 per cent increase compared with the previous year.

Several new entities also joined the programme last year, bringing the total number of members to 26 federal and local government entities and corporations.

The programme also created new job opportunities for UAE citizens.

SMEs can enhance their competitiveness in tenders with government and major companies, helping to boost their growth by joining the National ICV Programme, the ministry said.

"The National ICV Programme is one of the projects of the 50 and is designed to support supply chain localisation, develop new industries, help diversify the national economy, and create quality job opportunities in the private sector," said Omar Al Suwaidi, undersecretary at the MoIAT.

"Over the past two years, the programme has achieved tremendous milestones through the increasing integration between MoIAT and federal and local bodies, which has helped to stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation, especially among start-ups and SMEs."

SMEs account for about 98 per cent of companies operating in the UAE. Developing the sector and accelerating the growth of the start-up ecosystem are priorities for the UAE government, under its development strategy for the next 50 years.

“SMEs in the UAE have access to many incentives, including competitive financing solutions through MoIAT's strategic partners, including the Emirates Development Bank (EDB) and a number of other banks and financing institutions in the country," Mr Al Suwaid said.

EDB provides direct and indirect financing to start-ups, SMEs and large corporates in five priority sectors – manufacturing, infrastructure, advanced technology, food security and health care.

The company has set aside Dh30 billion for direct and indirect lending to more than 13,500 companies in priority sectors by 2025.

The bank approved Dh6.1 billion in financing in 2022, a nearly eightfold jump compared with the previous year, and aims to offer at least Dh6 billion in funding this year, its chief executive Ahmed Al Naqbi told The National in a recent interview.

“The National SME Programme aims to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners by providing them with support through financing, marketing, and exposure as well as training and development," said Abdullah Al Saleh, undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy.

The ministry supports Emirati entrepreneurs by teaming up with institutions in the government and private sectors, in addition to strengthening regional and international co-operation with its partners to "drive sustainable growth and promote the contribution of SMEs to GDP", he said.

The National Programme for SMEs was established by the Ministry of Economy in 2014. and aims to support UAE-based entrepreneurs to grow and sustain their businesses.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Company name: Farmin

Date started: March 2019

Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi 

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: AgriTech

Initial investment: None to date

Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs 

The specs

Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm

Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: From Dh1 million

On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022 

Soldier F

“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.

“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.

“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”

Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Result

Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2

Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

BOSH!'s pantry essentials

Nutritional yeast

This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.

Seeds

"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."

Umami flavours

"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".

Onions and garlic

"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."

Your grain of choice

Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."

TICKETS

For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo

Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm

Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Price: from Dh498,542

On sale: now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio

Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride

She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years

Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves

She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

BRAZIL%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20Alisson%2C%20Ederson%2C%20Weverton%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDefenders%3A%20Dani%20Alves%2C%20Marquinhos%2C%20Thiago%20Silva%2C%20Eder%20Militao%20%2C%20Danilo%2C%20Alex%20Sandro%2C%20Alex%20Telles%2C%20Bremer.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EMidfielders%3A%20Casemiro%2C%20Fred%2C%20Fabinho%2C%20Bruno%20Guimaraes%2C%20Lucas%20Paqueta%2C%20Everton%20Ribeiro.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EForwards%3A%20Neymar%2C%20Vinicius%20Junior%2C%20Richarlison%2C%20Raphinha%2C%20Antony%2C%20Gabriel%20Jesus%2C%20Gabriel%20Martinelli%2C%20Pedro%2C%20Rodrygo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch

Power: 710bhp

Torque: 770Nm

Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds

Top Speed: 340km/h

Price: Dh1,000,885

On sale: now

Updated: June 20, 2023, 1:06 PM