Alibaba Cloud Unveils Training Center in Dubai Internet City to Boost Digital Skills and Empower Ecosystem across MEA Region

Dubai, UAE, 25 March 2024 - Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, unveiled the MEA region’s Alibaba Cloud Academy Training Center today, which will serve as a hub for customers and partners to elevate their digital competence.

Located in Dubai Internet City, a global tech ecosystem part of TECOM Group PJSC, the training center is designed to empower Alibaba Cloud’s ecosystem partners and customers through delivering training, workshops, and certifications. It joins a community of more than 3,500 customers, including Fortune 500s, SMEs and start-ups powering regional digital transformation from Dubai Internet City.

By partnering with leading provider of security services and solutions Aladdin Cyber Security, the Training Center aims to host monthly training and enablement programs covering a wide spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, from AI to database management to elastic computing. These programs are part of a larger effort to help its ecosystem partners and customers stay up-to-date with the latest Alibaba Cloud technologies and develop top digital talents.

The objectives of the training program align with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33's goal to double Dubai's economy in the next decade through digital transformation contributions, as well as the UAE Centennial 2071's blueprint for a future-oriented, knowledge-based economy.

“The launch of the training center showcases our commitment and continued investment into the MEA region to help businesses transform digitally and achieve business success in the long term. We’re committed to growing together with our local partners and customers and providing them with the latest cloud computing and AI technologies to enable them to innovate and grow their businesses in the MEA region,” said Eric Wan, General Manager of Alibaba Cloud Middle East, Turkey & Africa.

“Digital transformation is the engine propelling global economic growth in the 21st century. To sustain its positive impact requires a workforce adept at navigating and shaping its rapidly evolving demands,” said Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President – Commercial at TECOM Group, on behalf of Dubai Internet City. “By investing in upskilling and training talent on cutting-edge technologies, we can remain agile, innovative and competitive, in line with the vision of the Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’. Alibaba Cloud’s physical training centre will empower our global tech community of professionals and entrepreneurs as well as countless more to power regional economic diversification efforts and innovation by remain ahead of the digital curve.”

Alibaba Cloud said it aims to train 5,000 people over the next five years in the MEA Region. The launch of this brick-and-mortar training center complements the virtual training programs that Alibaba Cloud has offered over the years to empower digital talents globally.

In less than a year and since April 2023, the Alibaba Cloud Academy program has trained over 60,000 people worldwide, offering over 300 online & offline certification courses, 16 different kinds of professional certifications, 250 online hands-on labs with over 300 associated global partners from the Alibaba Cloud Academy.

Alibaba Cloud has been a leading provider of cloud services to local private companies and public institutions in the UAE and the wider Middle East region since 2016. It has a robust local ecosystem in the MEA region with partners covering banking, financial services and insurance, media, public sectors, web 3 and customers locally across different sectors.

Aladdin Cyber Security has established in Dubai in 2023 and was built through a collaboration of top-tier security teams worldwide. Its offerings include professional security services, security solutions for website owners, network boundary protection, protection against data encryption ransomware, defense against customer APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) attacks for stealing confidential information, and other related services and solutions.

Dubai Internet City, the largest leading tech hub in the region, is part of TECOM Group’s portfolio of business districts that include Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Industrial City and Dubai Design District (d3).