{"id":13060,"date":"2025-10-17T06:27:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fintechnews.ae\/?p=28246"},"modified":"2025-10-17T06:27:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:27:26","slug":"aws-e-launch-ai-nation-afaaq-to-train-30000-in-ai-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/aws-e-launch-ai-nation-afaaq-to-train-30000-in-ai-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"AWS, e& Launch \u2018AI Nation \u2013 Afaaq\u2019 to Train 30,000 in AI Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazon Web Services (AWS)<\/a> and e&<\/a> have launched the nationwide \u201cAI Nation – Afaaq\u201d programme to train 30,000 individuals in machine learning (ML) and AI.<\/p>\n

Announced at GITEX Global<\/a> in Dubai, the initiative forms part of the US$1 billion strategic alliance between e& and AWS established in 2024.<\/p>\n

e&, which serves over 198 million subscribers across 38 countries, will deliver the training through the e& Academy in collaboration with AWS.<\/p>\n

The initiative addresses regional workforce challenges identified in IDC\u2019s 2024 report, which found that 88% of organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia recognise AI\u2019s business impact.<\/p>\n

However, while 78% of UAE firms prioritise AI investment, 46% report a shortage of skilled professionals as a major barrier to implementation.<\/p>\n

Through this programme, e& and AWS aim to support the UAE\u2019s long-term goals, including those outlined in the UAE Centennial 2071 plan, which focuses on building a knowledge-based economy.<\/p>\n

AWS will provide 30,000 sponsored vouchers for recognised industry certifications, 25,000 for the AWS Certified AI Practitioner and 5,000 for the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate.<\/p>\n

Participants will also have access to self-paced training materials via AWS Skill Builder and live \u2018Cloud Coach\u2019 sessions to support exam preparation.<\/p>\n

Harrison Lung, Group Chief Strategy Officer at e&, said:<\/p>\n

\"Harrison
Harrison Lung<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\u201cAs AWS\u2019s strategic partner, e& is proud to enable this nationwide digital skills programme through our e& Academy. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to developing the next generation of talents that will drive the UAE\u2019s innovation and leadership in the global digital economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Madhavi Reddy, Managing Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey at AWS, added:<\/p>\n

\"Madhavi
Madhavi Reddy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\u201cThis initiative represents AWS\u2019s commitment to making world-class digital skills training accessible across the UAE. By providing 30,000 learners with recognised certifications in cloud and AI, we are helping to build the talent base required for the nation\u2019s digital transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Featured image credit: AWS<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The post AWS, e& Launch \u2018AI Nation \u2013 Afaaq\u2019 to Train 30,000 in AI Skills<\/a> appeared first on Fintechnews Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and e& have launched the nationwide \u201cAI Nation \u2013 Afaaq\u201d programme to train 30,000 individuals in machine learning (ML) and AI. Announced at GITEX Global in Dubai, the initiative forms part of the US$1 billion strategic alliance between e& and AWS established in 2024. e&, which serves over 198 million subscribers […]<\/p>\n

The post AWS, e& Launch \u2018AI Nation \u2013 Afaaq\u2019 to Train 30,000 in AI Skills<\/a> appeared first on Fintechnews Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175,435,206,315,436],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abu-dhabi","category-amazon-web-services-aws","category-dubai","category-e","category-gitex-global-2025-dubai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13060"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13095,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13060\/revisions\/13095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}