Dubai CommerCity and Dubai Culture sign MoU to support and incentivise new creative economy businesses

Dubai CommerCity, part of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) and the region’s first and leading e-commerce free zone, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) aimed at creating a healthy ecosystem to further stimulate the growth of Dubai’s creative sector and enhance the emirate’s attractiveness as a global hub for the creative economy.

The partnership aligns with the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy launched in 2021 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The strategy aims to double the creative industries’ contribution to Dubai’s GDP to 5%, increase the number of Dubai-based creative enterprises to 15,000, and provide 140,000 jobs in various creative economy sectors by 2026.

The agreement will see both parties offering services to help establish new businesses in select creative economy sectors and support their long-term growth in Dubai CommerCity. These services include applying for a long-term cultural visa, a first-of-its-kind 10-year residency offered to creative talents. The selected cultural and creative sectors covered in this MoU to operate in Dubai CommerCity are music, fine arts, photography, film & video production, video game development, fashion design, graphic design, product design, interior and landscape design, architectural services, advertising services, and IT and software services.

The partnership will provide creative businesses with special incentives, including creative activities, logistics, consultation, banking solutions and services, and access to creative workspaces such as studios, conference rooms, and exhibitions. The aim is to provide a wide range of facilities and support the expansion of creative enterprises and their continuous contribution to Dubai’s economy.

His Excellency Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, Executive Chairman of DIEZ, said: “This agreement reflects DIEZ’s commitment to supporting all economic sectors in Dubai, including the creative economy. The cultural and creative sectors play a strategic role in the national economy, empowering businesses based on knowledge, innovation, and creativity.”

Al Zarooni added: “Dubai CommerCity, one of the most advanced and fastest-growing free zones in Dubai, will provide creative economy companies with cutting-edge solutions and an environment that fosters creativity. Its integrated systems offer incentives, facilities, and services to help them expand and contribute to the growth of the local economy. This aligns with our commitment to support Dubai’s Creative Economy Strategy.”

Her Excellency Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture, welcomed this partnership as another step toward realising the emirate’s cultural vision, saying: “We recognise the positive impact of cooperation between public and private entities. Through such collaborations, we seek to enhance the cultural sector in Dubai and actively empower its creative economy.”

Badri added: “Through our cooperation with Dubai CommerCity, we aim to consolidate our efforts to support cultural and creative businesses and talents in Dubai. This will bolster the emirate’s position as a global capital of the creative economy and improve the creative industries’ contribution to GDP.” 

The creative sector is one of the most promising sectors, generating the largest share of job opportunities, especially for youth. It also enhances entrepreneurship opportunities and supports micro and small enterprises, which account for 97% of all creative businesses. Despite the pandemic, the sector has witnessed a steady growth in the number of enterprises and employment.

The MoU is part of both organisations’ commitment to providing innovative services to help set up and develop new creative enterprises in Dubai. It will also help attract highly creative companies, motivate them to establish branches in the emirate, and help them expand their operations across the Middle East and GCC. The move aligns with Dubai Culture’s vision of strengthening the emirate’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.

This partnership seeks to stimulate the growth of the creative and cultural sectors in Dubai and attract and retain domestic, regional, and global investments as well as creative individuals, investors, and entrepreneurs — the pillars of the creative economy.

Dubai Culture develops mechanisms, strategies, legislative frameworks, regulations and policies to ensure the ease of doing business in the creative field through the Authority’s partnerships with governmental, semi-governmental and private entities, experts and consultants, and representatives of the creative sector. This emphasises Dubai Culture’s role as a policymaker, organiser, and enabler of the culture and arts sector in the emirate.

Dubai Culture is the government entity in charge of safeguarding Dubai’s rich heritage and promoting it, as well as sponsoring creative talents and supporting cultural diversity in the emirate. This will empower the cultural and creative sector to contribute to the local economy. Dubai Culture’s vision is based on its strategic roadmap, which aligns with the Dubai Creative Strategy that aims to transform the emirate into the world’s creative economic capital by 2026.