Dubai crown prince to head committee on metaverse

The government of Dubai has announced the formation of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy to oversee the city’s push to become a leading global hub for metaverse technology adoption.

According to an official announcement, Dubai’s crown prince, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed will chair the committee. His appointment was made by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Commenting on his appointment, HH Sheikh Hamdan stated that the Prime Minister’s vision for Dubai would consolidate the Emirate as a leader in adopting innovative new concepts and disruptive economic and technological models.

“We are working as a team to enhance Dubai’s position as a global birthplace and research laboratory for future technologies and one of the world’s top 10 metaverse economies, in line with the Dubai Metaverse Strategy,” he added.

The committee is mandated to design policies and analyze trends for the digital economy and future technologies. These include metaverse, AI, blockchain, Web3, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT), data centers, and cloud computing.

Its mandate also includes supervising the implementation of strategies it comes up with, identifying the future skills needed for the digital sectors, advising the economic sectors about the digital economy, and planning to attract international companies and build strategic partnerships with entities in the industry.

The committee’s creation comes after the government launched the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, which aims to open 40,000 new metaverse-related jobs in the Emirate by 2030. The strategy will position Dubai as one of the top 10 metaverse economies globally and generate up to $4 billion for the city’s GDP and government projects.

One of the first assignments the strategy leaders will carry out is the Dubai Metaverse Assembly to be held in September. The event is billed to attract over 300 experts in the metaverse industry as keynote speakers on various aspects of metaverse innovation.

The United Arab Emirates government is also going all out to advance the adoption of blockchain technology, digital assets, and the metaverse across the region. The country has recently signed an MoU with Chainalysis to train government employees on all things blockchain technology.