The agreement was signed for the ADBWC by HE Eng. Fatima Obeid Al Jaber, ADBWC Executive Board’s Chairperson, and for Al Foah Palm Cultivation Developing Co. by HE Eng. Saeed Salem Missry Al Hameli, General Manager of the company.

It stipulates that the Al Foah Company shall provide the ADBWC with ten tonnes of dates for UAE women-holders of the Mubdi’ah Programme’s licence with the objective of supporting their projects, particularly those of trading in dates. The agreement also states that both the Council and the Al Foah Company shall co-operate in preparing and making arrangements for the organization of awareness and educational programmes so as to demonstrate the importance of paying attention to this sector, fostering, nurturing and upgrading it for businesswomen in view of its economic significance. Abu Dhabi-based businesswomen and other professional and interested people in this field will be invited to cover and explain the desired objectives of such programmes besides encouraging them to avail themselves of what this sector makes available, including key business and investment opportunities.

According to the provisions of the agreement, “it has been mutually agreed by the two parties to commence the execution of the agreement by organizing an awareness programme in the two cities of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain on the development and streamlining of the palm-trees sector, showing how important it is in association with the First Party, as well as for the Al Foah Company to supply the ADBWC office in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain with all kinds of dates classified as packets with an aim of helping promote and further the efforts for marketing these products”.  

Stressing the importance of signing this agreement with the Al Foah Company as a government entity concerned with the palm-trees and dates sector in Abu Dhabi, HE Eng. Fatima Obeid Al Jaber stated that: “Signing the agreement comes within the framework of the ADBWC’s strategy aiming at enhancing joint collaboration with national official departments and organizations in a manner that would help allow UAE businesswomen to be acquainted with business and investment opportunities existing in all sectors and spheres in Abu Dhabi,” noting that within the upcoming period, agreements and memoranda of understanding would be signed with a view to ensure enabling the ADBWC to implement its plans, programmes and initiatives targeting the support and empowerment of women nationals based in Abu Dhabi and the reinforcement of their role in the march of the all-out economic development in the emirate.

For his own part, HE Eng. Saeed Salem Missry Al Hameli, General Manager of the Al Foah Company, stated that: “Signing this agreement stems from both reactivating the company’s role in community participations and contributions and his own keenness to boost joint co-operation with the ADBWC in a way that would serve UAE women and enhance opportunities available to them to contribute to economic and business activities”. The company has since 2005 taken care of reinforcing women’s presence in the labour market via co-operation with the ADBWC’s Mubdi’ah Programme.

An ADBWC’s delegation paid a visit to the Emirates Dates Factory in Alsad where they were briefed upon production and washing lines besides dates-processing phases. The delegation commended the advanced level reached by the Al Foah Company’s factory and members of the delegation voiced their admiration for the state-of-the-art technology being followed in dates sorting out and producing operations, which are designed to both improve UAE dates and increase their competitiveness in global markets.