The partnership seeks to strengthen institutional readiness, develop national competencies, and ensure the responsible deployment of AI across federal ministries and entities through executive education and specialised capability-building programmes.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Agentic AI Project Executive Committee, and Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority and Chairman of MBZUAI’s Board of Trustees.
The agreement was signed by Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, and Chairwoman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR), and Professor Eric Xing, President and University Professor of MBZUAI.
The partnership supports the national programme approved by the UAE Cabinet to train 80,000 federal employees as Agentic AI experts across all occupational categories, through continuous specialised training delivered in collaboration with leading national universities and technology companies.
Al Gergawi affirmed that the UAE’s leadership places people at the centre of its development model, as the foundation of comprehensive progress and the primary engine of modernisation across government and society.
He said the training programmes reflect a government philosophy built on continuous learning and sustained investment in national talent, designed to enhance the capabilities of the federal workforce, strengthen institutional readiness for the future, and ensure the long-term sustainability of government development.
Al Gergawi noted that the UAE is advancing a clear vision to establish itself as the world’s best government, through transforming how government works, elevating service quality, and building a human capital base that leads across global competitiveness rankings.
Al Mubarak said the announcement by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, of the largest government training programme of its kind, covering 80,000 federal employees and targeting the transition of 50 percent of government services and operations to Agentic AI, marks a pivotal moment in the UAE’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
He added, “Since the UAE’s founding, our leadership has held that people are the nation’s true wealth. Agentic AI reinforces this belief. A government powered by AI is built on far more than the technologies it holds. Its success rests on human competence, trained minds, sound judgement, and the values of the people who guide it.”
As a strategic knowledge partner to the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, Al Mubarak said, MBZUAI brings its full research and applied expertise to build the knowledge foundation for a government that leads the world in AI. “Our purpose is clear: to develop and deploy AI responsibly and inclusively in service of our communities.”
Al Roumi said the partnership is a direct translation of the leadership’s directives to embed Agentic AI across UAE Government operations, services, and procedures. She described it as a model for collaboration between government and leading national academic institutions, focused on equipping civil servants with the practical knowledge and skills to design and deliver the next generation of public service.
She noted the partnership will span all leadership and occupational levels, covering the full target of training more than 80,000 government employees in Agentic AI.
The programme adopts a hands-on learning model focused on building, managing, and deploying Agentic AI in real government contexts. It covers Agentic AI-driven transformation, responsible AI adoption, implementation and management requirements, and practical applications across government work.
It also serves multiple leadership levels, including executive AI capability tracks for senior government leaders, in direct support of the UAE’s strategic commitment to Agentic AI across all areas of government work and service delivery.
