The Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (Adced) has launched a business idea contest as part of the Akoun Entrepreneurship Awareness Campaign.

 

The Akoun Business Idea Competition 2014 is open to all Emirati students and calls for the submission of business proposals.

 

Three winner will be chosen from each participating emirate and will be awarded with prize money to kick-start the business they proposed.

 

The best proposal will be rewarded with Dh25,000 ($6,804.5), while the winner of the second and third positions will get Dh15,000 and Dh10,000 respectively.

 

The fifth edition of the campaign, an initiative of Adced, is aimed at inspiring and educating Emirati students to become successful entrepreneurs.

 

Launched across different universities in the UAE, Akoun features a series of constructive workshops and the Akoun Business Idea Competition 2014.

 

The workshops are being hosted by Emirati entrepreneurs, who are creating an educative forum for students to get all the information about setting up their own businesses.

 

More than 15 workshops are taking place in various universities and educational institutions across the seven emirates between January and April.

 

The campaign, which was started in 2009, beings together government organisations, educational institutions, and Emirati entrepreneurs to initiate the youth towards entering private enterprises and providing them with the requisite knowledge, resources and guidance.

 

Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, director general of ADCED, said: “As Akoun enters its fifth phase, it is fulfilling to see the student and business communities take a renewed interest in our objectives and methods. Consequently, encouraging entrepreneurship among Emirati youth aligns with the UAE’s government strategic goals to develop a strong private sector and reduce its dependency on oil revenues.” - TradeArabia News Service