Dubai to triple number of app developers, eyes $160bn market

Sheikh Hamdan launches Create Apps in Dubai as city aims to be leading app development hub

Dubai will triple the number of app developers in the city and looks to establish itself as a leading hub for app development.

Global app downloads passed 230bn in 2021 and Dubai can be a market leader for creating new digital applications.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, launched “Create Apps in Dubai”.

Create apps in Dubai

The initiative of the Higher Committee of Future Technology Development and Digital Economy, aims to create an innovation-driven ecosystem for apps in the emirate and turning Dubai into one of the world’s most attractive destinations for business opportunities by 2025.

Sheikh Hamdan said that since the launch of Internet City, the emirate’s strategic investments in the digital sector have seen it becoming an important player in the global technological landscape.

He said: “The digital transformation sweeping the world and the exponential growth of cutting-edge digital applications and platforms have created a new global competition for technological leadership.

“Dubai seeks to be at the forefront of this global race by providing a platform for fostering the development of 1,000 highly-skilled UAE nationals whose ideas and innovation will create a vibrant applications sector in Dubai.”

The “Create Apps in Dubai” initiative overseen by the Chamber for Digital Economy with the support of government entities and technology companies, seeks to train a select group of 1,000 UAE nationals in partnership with the private sector in Dubai.

The initiative will identify priority areas and support development plans aimed at empowering and enabling these UAE nationals to play key roles in realising the country’s digital vision.

Furthermore, the initiative seeks to triple the number of app creators by 2025 and support 100 new national projects for developing cutting-edge apps that will be made available in digital app stores over the next 24 months.

Sheikh Hamdan met with developers of apps targeted at the global market in the fields of healthcare, education, entrepreneurship and others, as part of engagements aimed at promoting exchange of ideas among experts, innovators and developers.

By encouraging greater sharing of digital and technological expertise, the emirate seeks to enhance its position as a global launchpad for future-oriented technologies.

With global smartphone sales revenues crossing $448bn and two million new applications and games created in 2021, growth and innovation in the sector has been steadily gathering momentum.

Users spent more than $160bn on applications while the number of downloads of applications hit 230bn in 2021, creating vast new opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs and technology professionals.

The number of financial and business applications downloaded in the Middle East and Africa region exceeded 157m in 2021, an increase of 182 percent since 2018, while user spending in the top 25 electronic apps increased by 6.5 times compared to 2018.

Dubai seeks to leverage new growth opportunities in the sector by creating a strong digital infrastructure, developing a legislative framework that supports the development of apps, and introducing government incentives to accelerate the sector’s economic growth.