The Department of Finance – Abu Dhabi (DoF) has launched the 2027 Budget Cycle, marking the first formal phase of the process to prepare the emirate’s budget for the year.
The launch event was held at the Zayed National Museum and brought together more than 240 senior officials representing 50 government entities from across Abu Dhabi.
The gathering reflected the level of coordination and collaboration across the emirate’s public financial management system.
Held under the theme “Direction. Discipline. Delivery.,” the event focused on governance, multi-year financial planning, and the alignment of strategic priorities with budget planning and execution.
Discussions examined approaches to supporting long-term fiscal sustainability while enabling government entities to make informed financial decisions in line with Abu Dhabi’s development priorities.
The event marked the formal start of the 2027 budget preparation process and outlined the framework that will guide government entities during the budget cycle.
On the sidelines of the event, the Department of Finance recognized the winners of the inaugural Budget Excellence Award, launched by the department last year to recognize government entities for their contributions to strengthening budget management, accountability, and institutional performance.
Her Excellency Buthaina Al Mazrouei, Director General of Government Financial Affairs at the Department of Finance – Abu Dhabi, said that the annual event marks the beginning of the government’s budget cycle, which serves as a strategic tool for achieving the objectives of government programs while maintaining fiscal discipline.
Al Mazrouei remarked that the collaboration among government entities during the budget preparation process has been a key element of Abu Dhabi’s financial planning approach for many years. This approach has strengthened the government’s ability to respond to regional and global economic developments while maintaining sound financial management practices.
Buthaina Al Mazrouei added that the Budget Excellence Award has identified successful examples of budget management that can serve as practical models for other government entities.
Image Credits: ADMO | Cropped by GBN
The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) received the award in the Best Overall Budget Performance category.
The Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities won the Budget Optimization, Risk Assessment, and Management category.
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre jointly received the award in the Programme-Based Budgeting Implementation category.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) was recognized in the Revenue Growth category.
The event also included discussions on expenditure reviews, costing methodologies, and the continued implementation of Program and Performance-Based Budgeting (PBB) as part of efforts to strengthen the government’s financial management framework.
Participants also discussed the use of artificial intelligence technologies to support financial planning and improve budget management processes in line with the emirate’s strategic objectives.
