Abu Dhabi-based investment manager Ethmar Holdings has tied up with Apex Al Wataniya Logistics and robotics company Averro Technology to set up a drone-based transport venture in the emirate.
Called SkyGo, the company will begin operations next year with a network of 40 stations to support the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi. It aims to provide a “more streamlined healthcare delivery service across the city”.
The new venture aims to become a “unique transportation company” specialising in using the latest drone technologies, the entities said in a joint statement on Monday.
“SkyGo is ... [a] disruptive technology company providing logistics and supply chain solutions by drones,” Sultan Al Dhaheri, executive board member of SkyGo, said.
“In the next phase, our plan is to expand to other sectors locally and regionally, which will be announced soon, and provide the best air transport services using UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles],” he added.
Drones are making deliveries with increasing regularity in rural areas all over the world. Drone companies are getting big-ticket commercial contracts in the region for monitoring industrial infrastructure and providing services in sparsely populated areas.
The global drone logistics and transportation market size, which was valued at $8.7 billion last year, is projected to reach $38.7bn by 2028, growing at an annual rate of 20.6 per cent, according to Delaware-based research and consulting firm Verified Market Research.
The industry is being propelled by the increased use of UAVs in commercial applications for faster delivery with the growth of the e-commerce sector and eased regulations for using drones for commercial purposes, as well as its cost-effective nature, according to the report.
The industry has also experienced a growth in investments, with venture capitalists showing increasing interest, which will help fuel innovation. Total investments reached a record of $1.2bn in 2019, a 67 per cent year-on-year increase, Finbold.com data showed.
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has developed an all-in-one app for drone users in the Emirates to assist them in using these devices in compliance with the safety regulations.
Emirates ID holders who are registered with the GCAA can shoot videos and take photographs using drones in locations permitted and at heights specified by the local authorities. The app allows the immediate identification of areas where photography is permitted.
There are certain free fly zones, where people can fly drones up to a height of 122 metres. The app helps locate all information to users through an interactive map.
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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The specs
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
