Ministry of Economy and Tourism wins three awards at GOVMedia Conference 2025 in Singapore

Recognition for national initiatives in entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and streamlining government procedures

The UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism won three prestigious awards at the GOVMedia Conference 2025 held in Singapore. The Ministry was recognized in the Trade and Industry category for three flagship national initiatives that embody the UAE’s strategic vision to support the new economy, enhance government work systems, and accelerate digital transformation. The Ministry received the award for the Digital Initiative of the Year for the National Economic Register (NER) – Growth; for Future100; and Administrative Reform Program award for its efforts in enhancing services through the Zero Government Bureaucracy (ZGB) programme.

The Ministry emphasized that these achievements reflect the UAE’s success in building a world-class work ecosystem across all economic and development sectors. The awards underscore the Ministry’s efforts to foster innovation, empower entrepreneurs, enhance government performance, and strengthen digital governance in line with the goals of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision to establish the world’s most advanced and competitive system in the coming decade.

National Economic Register (NER) – Growth

The Ministry received the Digital Initiative of the Year award in the Trade and Industry category for the National Economic Register – ‘Growth,’ a national platform that serves as a unified and reliable database of all commercial licenses held by establishments and companies across the seven emirates. The platform has streamlined procedures and unified requirements for business establishment and economic activities across the UAE under a single window, enhancing the economic impact of government initiatives.

The Growth platform leverages advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse big data, provide accurate and reliable information, and offer proactive services to the country's business community, including decision-makers, entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners. It enables users to access data and information on any commercial license in the country across more than 2,000 economic activities in the seven emirates. The register also features the national identity of Economic Registration Number (ERN), which is a unified digital reference for the national economy, enhancing the UAE’s data-driven governance capabilities. This enables the design of programs that address the needs of entrepreneurs and investors, keep pace with the latest technologies in economic governance, and open new avenues for development in priority sectors.

Future100 initiative

Furthermore, the Ministry received the Government Initiative of the Year award for Future100, underscoring the initiative’s role in empowering startups and promoting innovation in future economy sectors. The initiative supports the growth of 100 startups operating in future economy sectors every year by providing them with integrated support, assisting them in connecting with investors and expanding into global markets.

The initiative receives over 1,100 applications every year and has recorded a 30 per cent increase in participation by women entrepreneurs and citizens in 2024, highlighting its active role in promoting diversity and inclusion within the startup environment. The Future100 list is published annually and features fast-growing UAE-based startups that contribute to shaping the new economy.

Zero Government Bureaucracy (ZGB) Initiative

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism also received the Administrative Reform Program award for its efforts to enhance and accelerate service and transaction processing under the Zero Government Bureaucracy (ZGB) programme. Through this initiative, the Ministry successfully simplified and streamlined procedures for its wide range of services to entrepreneurs and investors. Notable achievements include redesigning 36 key government services, reducing required documents by 52 per cent, cutting transaction processing times by 50 - 70 per cent, and decreasing the number of fields in government forms by 64 per cent. These improvements have supported the development of new economy sectors, modernized government work systems, and accelerated digital transformation, reinforcing the UAE’s business environment competitiveness both regionally and globally.

Launched in November 2023 by the UAE government, the Zero Government Bureaucracy (ZGB) programme aims to simplify procedures and eliminate unnecessary requirements, in line with the leadership’s vision to create a pioneering future experience that enhances quality of life and fosters a business-friendly environment.

The GOVMedia Conference is an international, high-level platform that celebrates outstanding government initiatives and projects across the Asia-Pacific region. The Conference showcases exemplary experiences in advancing government performance and promoting a culture of innovation and excellence in public services.