Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Trade, the single window for cross-border trade and a DP World company, has commended the winners of the 9th E-Services Excellence Awards (ESEA) held in Dubai recently.
The annual award event is organised by Dubai Trade to recognise customers who use its smart services appreciating their contribution in promoting smart transformation in trade and logistics in Dubai.
The award ceremony was held at Atlantis Dubai, and attended by HE Abdulla Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade & Industry, Ali Ibrahim Mohammad, Deputy Director General of Department of Economy in Dubai, Eng. Mahmood Al Bastaki, CEO of Dubai Trade, business leaders, government officials, representatives from the financial sector, shipping and logistics, and the media who consider it one of the main indicators of Dubai’s transformation to a smart economy.
HE Al Saleh and Al Bastaki honoured the winners of the 9th ESEA in recognition of their excellences. Bin Abed General Land Transport won the Smart Services Award for M-Token Services, with Ocean World Shipping & Clearing runner-up. NAFFCO Group won the Smart Services Award for Free Zone Services, with Del Monte Foods runner-up. Takhlees Cargo Services won the Smart Services Award for Clearance Services, with Mehta Trading Co. second. Al Taawun Clearing & Forwarding won the Smart Services Award for Payment Services, with Mosaco Shipping & Forwarding as runner-up. DAMCO won the Best Innovative Award in the trade and logistics industry, and Mai Al Baz, a student from the Wollongong University in Dubai, won the Best Innovator award.
Two awards in the exporters’ category were presented by Dubai Exports, the export promotion agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), as part of its strategic partnership with Dubai Trade. Mai Dubai won the New Exporter of the Year award, with Delta Food Industries as runner up. The National Fire Fighting Manufacturing Company (NAFFCO) won the Innovative Exporter of the Year award with Falcon Pack Industries as runner up.
HE Abdulla Al Saleh highlighted the role of Dubai Trade and e-services in enabling trade in the UAE. He said: “E-services have significantly enhanced the UAE’s trade activities. Its positive impact is reflected in the country’s strong trade performance last year even amidst a very challenging global economic climate. For the first half of 2016, the UAE’s total non-oil foreign trade alone stood at USD 215 billion and is expected to grow by 7 per cent this 2017. Dubai Trade as the premier single-window trade facility for various trade and logistics service providers has played a huge role in encouraging organizations to use smart services for trade and logistics. Hence, this event is one of the key indicators of Dubai’s international competitiveness. Our partnership with Dubai Trade also includes offering a range of services that support economic and commercial sectors in the UAE, and facilitate operations for individuals as well as organisations. The smart services provided by Dubai Trade for customers and traders are world class and offering them with state-of-the-art smart services and trade platforms, one of the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Economy.”
Dubai Trade CEO, Eng. Mahmood Al Bastaki, said: “When we launched the E-Services Excellence Award nine years ago we wanted to encourage the use and adoption of electronic services. Today, the adoption rate of many services has reached 100%. The number of transactions by registered companies and customers using Dubai Trade also increases year after year and in 2016 stands at 19 million. Today, with the widespread use of smart technologies, and our leadership’s vision to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world, we honour the organisations that support our efforts. We will continue to develop our services and launch smart trade platforms that feature advanced technologies and are fully integrated with to provide services that traders need such as cargo insurance, a warehouse booking system and land transportation management system.
Al Bastaki added: “Innovation has become our main priority in everything we do for our customers. Following the promise made by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for those who choose Dubai to launch their businesses to be our partners in the future.”
Al Bastaki also acknowledged ESEA sponsors for their role in the success of the event. These included Al Futtaim Logistics and TechnoPro Middle East as gold sponsors and Agility Logistics and Newage Software Solutions as silver sponsors. He commended the support of government and private organisations, especially the Ministry of Economy which supports ESEA annually. Other partners include DP World, Dubai Customs, Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza), Dubai Exports, the International Chamber of Commerce-United Arab Emirates (ICC-UAE), Dubai Maritime City Authority, and the National Association of Freight & Logistics. Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) and Abu Dhabi Media were recognised as the media partners and honoured for their role in promoting ESEA and Dubai Trade’s smart transformation.