Khalifa Fund ties up with eBay to support Abu Dhabi’s SMEs via e-Empower

By Amirtha P S, Desk Reporter
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Abu Dhabi-based Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) has entered into a partnership with American multinational eCommerce corporation, eBay, to include it as the latest member of the e-Empower initiative, under the Abu Dhabi Inspires program.

With this collaboration, KFED looks to boost the eCommerce ecosystem of Abu Dhabi, while also being in alignment with the mandate to diversify the emirate’s economy and expand non-oil exports to global markets.

The partnership will benefit the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and medium-large enterprises in Abu Dhabi to achieve a variety of benefits to encourage the SMEs in the emirate to venture into global exportation of their goods and services.

As part of eBay’s involvement with e-Empower, small businesses can expect to receive a toolbox with a guide and best practices to selling on eBay as an independent seller, 200 free listings, and a unique offer for higher selling limits. Medium-large enterprises will be eligible to receive a personal training program with eBay experts, higher selling limits, complementary eBay store subscription for a quarter, as well as integration subsidy and marketing benefits.

Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Image
Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa
Chairman – KFED

“As the leading SME development organization in the UAE, Khalifa Fund is constantly looking to establish partnerships with industry-leading entities such as eBay, who will provide invaluable knowledge and an abundance of resources to e-Empower. Khalifa Fund remains committed to enhancing all aspects of Abu Dhabi’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with specific emphasis on providing further support to the functionalities of international exportation.”

Ms. Jenny Hui, General Manager of Global Emerging Markets at eBay, said, “With over 159 million buyers worldwide in 190 markets and 250 million searches a day, eBay opens the door to any local business to become a global player. Last year alone, we saw growth of over 28 percent of UAE sellers on eBay, and we plan to continue and extend our support to local businesses, via different growth and support programs customized for every relevant business.”

e-Empower has been amongst the most influential and impactful initiatives that Khalifa Fund has ever launched. The program was initiated to support the emirate’s entrepreneurs go through the full digitalization of their businesses and help their overall ability to thrive in the digital economy. 

Since its inception, e-Empower has partnered with Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Akshaak and noon, which has seen more than 1,200 SMEs optimize and develop their own eCommerce stores.

Related: Kuwait-based eGrocery startup Fiz raises $2.5mn in latest funding

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