Future Trends, Technology Investments And Foresight-based Action Plans Discussed At Government Foresight Summit

The inaugural edition of the three-day Government Foresight Summit officially opened today, welcoming futurists, digital transformation specialists and foresight strategists to share the best practices to ensure future organisational readiness

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 23rd Sep, 2019) The inaugural edition of the three-day Government Foresight Summit officially opened today, welcoming futurists, digital transformation specialists and foresight strategists to share the best practices to ensure future organisational readiness.

The summit, developed to support the "UAE Strategy for the Future'', a comprehensive roadmap that will take the nation to the next era of development of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, will run until 25th September, 2019, at the Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre.

The first day of the Government Foresight Summit welcomed officials from the Dubai Police, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Energy and Industry and the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi.

Organised by Messe Frankfurt middle East with the UAE Ministry of Education as a Supporting Partner, the summit hosted panel discussions and presentations by spokespersons from regional and international organisations such as the FFWD Strategic Foresight and Futures Anticipation, the UAE University and the Department of Health.

The message delivered by Suleiman Al Kaabi, CEO, Foresight Foundation – Abu Dhabi, UAE, during his keynote presentation was how organisations can move towards a culture of preparedness.

"The UAE Centennial 2071 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has set a clear vision for the future. The Government Foresight Summit is an ideal opportunity in line with this vision. The platform enables us to share visions and aspirations and work collectively to identify key steps and pillars that enhance the readiness of UAE institutions for the future," Al Kaabi said.

A panel discussion on "Strategic Foresight and its Tools: Bringing Foresight Planning to Life" brought together experts from the EU Institute for Security Studies, independent foresight advisory company, proGective, the Dubai Airport Freezone and innovator of industry solutions, Systematic Innovation.

Jabir Walji, Strategy Artist, Systematic Innovation, stressed the importance of ICT and disruptive technologies on future jobs and skills. "Technologies can be broken down into two components: technical and non-technical. The technical pillar involves ICT, blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Non-technical consists of innovative business models and intangible new knowledge leading to advanced logic. One needs to identify these technical and non-technical elements and interpret their use for the benefit of society. We can support the development of skills for future jobs by implementing the teaching and learning of these new technologies," he said.

Hassan Mohamed Fayed, Specialist Innovation and Future at Dubai Airport Freezone, stressed the importance of information management. He said, "In my opinion, the top priority today is data governance and information architecture; building this infrastructure will strengthen organisations to become increasingly wiser in predicting the future and making decisions accordingly."

Running alongside the three-day agenda are the foresight labs led by industry experts. This afternoon’s session was run by Dr. Peter Bishop, Professor Emeritus & Exec Director at the University of Houston, with a keen focus on future-proofing education systems.