Carrefour has launched a new retail training programme for Emiratis.
The Masarat Programme, a part of Majid Al Futtaim Retail’s Emiratisation efforts in partnership with the Nafis initiative, will train citizens for front line roles, team leaders, department heads and store managers.
The retail giant said it has recruited more than 1,000 Emiratis since 2021 and is on target to achieve its goal of 3,000 by 2026. Emiratis currently represent more than 6 per cent of its total domestic workforce, the retailer said.
Training in the programme at Carrefour’s Retail Business School will be split into five stages, beginning with front line roles and moving through to district management level to enhance expertise across all areas of the retail business.
Participants will be rewarded with financial incentives and opportunities to advance their career.
“Masarat will offer a direct route to success for thousands of talented and ambitious Emiratis, including development, training and upskilling opportunities,” said Bernardo Perloiro, chief operating officer GCC at Majid Al Futtaim Retail.
“In partnership with Nafis, our Masarat Programme is an exciting and supportive stepping stone from which 3,000 new national colleagues will be able to launch and pursue successful careers within retail by 2026.”
Launched in September 2021, Nafis, which means “compete” in Arabic, was set up to ensure key Emiratisation targets were met in the private sector.
Under the programme, Emiratis working in the sector are entitled to salary top-ups as they would typically earn more in the public sector.
Figures released in January showed that 28,700 Emiratis had taken jobs at private companies since the launch of the Nafis employment programme 12 months previously.
In March, the UAE introduced the Industrialist Programme designed to increase Emiratisation in the industrial sector, upskill national graduates and help them find skilled jobs.
The programme aims to empower talent, develop skills and provide job opportunities for UAE citizens as part of the National In-Country Value (ICV) programme.
Private sector companies with at least 50 employees must ensure at least 3 per cent of their workforce is made up of Emiratis by July 1.
In revised targets set out last month, employers in the UAE are expected to meet a 4 per cent target as part of the Emiratisation drive by the end of the year.
The Emirati employment rate is to increase to 6 per cent next year, 8 per cent in 2025 and 10 per cent in 2026.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Business Insights
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Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
