Tuesday, March 21, 2023 – 8:43 PM
DUBAI, 21 March / WAM / The Dubai Multi Commodities Center, the free zone operating at the global level and the authority of the Dubai government specialized in the trade of goods and projects in cooperation with the Social Impact Accelerator Foundation “C3”, presented a cash prize of 180 thousand dirhams to the three winners within DMCC Accelerator Program for Social and Environmental Impact supported by C3 Foundation.
The program concluded its activities in conjunction with the UAE’s preparations to host the COP28 Conference of the Parties and lead the transformation that supports the global sustainability agenda. The program, which is the first of its kind in the UAE, supported the growth of companies seeking to achieve a positive impact in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The program is an essential part of the Center’s strategy for environmental, social responsibility and governance and embodies its commitment to allocate 0.5 percent of its net profits to achieve positive social and environmental impact.
The program lasted for six months and concluded with a presentation day, during which 15 small and medium enterprises presented their ideas and projects aimed at addressing a number of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges in front of a panel of business experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Global Ventures, AstroLabs and Brunswick.
The audience at the conference center in Almas Tower included a number of experts, entrepreneurs and investors from the entrepreneurship and social impact system in the UAE.
After submitting the bids, the three winners were announced: Groced, a Nigerian food technology platform that collects small payments from low- and middle-income earners in exchange for a monthly food subscription and a number of financial services suitable for that segment, and EatCloud, a Colombian startup. Artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies are used to redistribute surplus food around the world, which reduces waste and supports food banks around the world. Chefaa is an Egyptian platform that provides pharmaceutical services and relies on GPS technologies to allow patients to request, schedule and re-dispense their medicines Besides meeting other pharmaceutical needs.
Ferial Ahmadi, Chief Operating Officer of DMCC, said that while DMCC continues to consolidate Dubai’s position as a vital center on the international trade map, we must use our platform to make a positive impact on societies. The strategy of the Dubai Multi Commodities Center, and for this reason, the first edition of the program was keen to select the best companies that can contribute to facing the urgent social and environmental problems in our contemporary world from among the 15 projects participating in the program … Congratulations to all the participants in the program and we are pleased to witness their successes and their positive impact in Next years”.
For his part, Khalid Kalbat, Head of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Department at the UAE Ministry of Economy, said that this program confirms the UAE’s commitment to enhancing the positive social and environmental impact and encouraging entrepreneurship in the region… He thanked the Dubai Multi Commodities Center and the Social Impact Acceleration Program in appreciation of their efforts. Efforts to enable the participating institutions to launch their business in the country and benefit from our local system to serve as a platform for launching and successful expansion in the Middle East and Africa.
It is worth noting that all the SMEs that participated in the program joined the DMCC community, which is a fast-growing community of more than 22,000 companies, to receive a 70 percent discount on license fees and flexible office space over two years.
These companies will also benefit from additional discounts when renewing the license during the next three years.
In addition to a variety of initiatives aimed at promoting environmental sustainability in society, DMCC offers a 30 percent discount on licensing fees for any company that becomes a member of the United Nations Global Compact to combat climate change.
His conversion to Al-Hussein / Munira Al-Sumaiti
