Amazon UAE plans to showcase 100,000 SMEs on its website by 2026, according to Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.
The initiative will grant UAE retailers a global platform in line with Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).
“Dubai has positioned itself as a thriving centre for the digital economy,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on Twitter on Tuesday.
“I welcome Amazon’s plans to showcase 100,000 businesses, including local SMEs, on Amazon.ae by 2026.
“This initiative will grant Emirati companies a global platform, aligning with D33’s aspirations, and enabling further progress towards our shared goals.”
D33 was launched in January to double the size of Dubai’s economy, with a target of reaching Dh32 trillion ($8.7 trillion) by 2033 and positioning the country among the top three global cities.
Its goal is to transform Dubai into a global digital economy hub, attractive to international retailers.
Vice president at Amazon Mena, Ronaldo Mouchawar, told The National: “We are constantly making investments to support the UAE’s digital economy.
“As part of this initiative, we will continue to support local businesses and SMEs to help them thrive and successfully grow their business by providing them access to customers on Amazon.ae, as well as our technology and logistics solutions with Fulfillment by Amazon.
“Our global registration program on Amazon.ae also makes it easier and more seamless for local sellers to sell on Amazon stores globally, reaching hundreds of millions of worldwide active customer accounts.”
Recently Amazon has been actively investing in the UAE in recent years. Just in February, it invested in a grocery platform FreshToHome to increase its foothold in the UAE.
In November, Amazon signed an agreement with Lulu Group to develop a grocery delivery service.
Aligning with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, Amazon aims to grow the number of SMEs that sell on Amazon.ae “from 50,000 to 100,000″ by 2026”, said Mr Mouchawar.
