Khalifa Fund partners with noon.com to support Abu Dhabi SMEs

The Khalifa Fund for Economic Development (KFED) has partnered with e-commerce company noon.com to support Abu Dhabi businesses and entrepreneurs.

The three-tiered initiative includes offering preferential rates at noon.com; the ‘noon Mahali’ platform will support Emirati micro-businesses; and local food producers will benefit from optimised positioning on noon Daily, noon’s dedicated grocery platform.

The partnership is part of e-Empower, the Khalifa Fund initiative launched last month under the ‘Abu Dhabi Inspires’ programme, to support the emirate’s SMEs.

Under the #AbuDhabiInspires programme, @KFED_Official launches a partnership with @noon as part of the E-empower programme – to encourage entrepreneurship and accelerate the digital transformation of Abu Dhabi SMEs. pic.twitter.com/50kaEasdQa

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) October 14, 2020

By way of this new agreement, SMEs will gain immediate access to noon’s customers, its logistics and fulfillment network, and secure payment gateway.

All e-Empower companies that have been verified by both Khalifa Fund and noon will be eligible to sign-up to the platform via noon.com/kf-empower and access tailored online courses designed to guide sellers through the best practices of selling online, and tips on how to optimise and amplify their offering to increase audience engagement.

Participating entities will also receive seller support from a dedicated in-house team to help with the onboarding process, content creation, and offer advice on overall selling performance.

The noon Mahali program, an initiative committed to supporting local micro-entrepreneurs, will be made available to all qualified e-Empower companies. All Mahali sellers are guided and supported throughout their e-commerce journey by noon to become established sellers in the local market.

Meanwhile, noon’s dedicated grocery platform, noon Daily, will partner with Khalifa Fund to empower local farms, helping them sell their produce online and enabling safe and secure delivery to customers across the UAE. Local farms will have a dedicated space on noon Daily too to help drive sales online.

“Through noon Daily we will ensure the safe delivery of fresh produce and non-perishable items from local farmers. We will support, champion, and believe in every E-empower company, providing the best tools to help their businesses rise, driving the digital economy and inspiring the next generation of local entrepreneurs,” said Mohamed Alabbar, founder of noon.

Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman at Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and chairman of KFED said that the newl formed partnership will encourage entrepreneurship and accelerate the digital transformation of Abu Dhabi SMEs, including Emirati micro-businesses and local food producers.

“We continue to be dedicated towards collaborating with leading organisations who provide an abundance of knowledge and resources to Abu Dhabi’s SME sector; which is an economically imperative sector that contributes substantially to the Emirate’s non-oil revenues,” noted Al Shorafa.