Economic development departments in the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah have successfully implemented the ‘Compliance Day’ initiative pioneered by the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai last year to build awareness among businesses on the importance of adhering to commercial laws and regulations.
Together, field teams from the economic development departments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah completed visits to 1,800 businesses on the 3rd of September 2016 as part of the ‘Compliance Day,’ which was aimed to educate shop owners and traders on regulatory compliance as well as the benefits of avoiding violations and consequent penalties.
The initiative is meant to protect the integrity of the local market and enable commercial outlets to focus on continuous development and the pursuit of excellence, thereby enhancing the reputation of the UAE as a competitive business destination. No penalties are issued on the ‘Compliance Day’ as the focus is on building awareness and enabling traders to avoid fines.
Directors in charge of commercial control from the five economic development departments had agreed unanimously to observe the 3rd of September as ‘Compliance Day’ in the respective emirates during a meeting held the Business Village Dubai earlier this year. DED presented the proposal to its counterparts in other emirates as part of an effort to create nationwide awareness on the benefits of its initiative and help disseminate a culture of awareness and compliance among businesses across all the emirates.
Mohammed Rashid Ali Lootah, CEO of the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in DED, thanked the economic development departments from the sister emirates for supporting the vision to create a knowledgeable business sector across the country, adding that the collaborative effort would help enhance the stature of UAE trade as well as confidence among businesses and investors, inspiring more of them to do business in the UAE.
“The results of the campaign shows it has led to improved awareness, happiness and satisfaction among traders in the participating emirates, which further encourages us to work jointly and motivate the traders to adopt best practices in commercial commitment and competitiveness at the regional and global levels, thus promoting economic growth in the UAE,” added Lootah.
“In the first phase of the initiative we are identifying businesses with accumulated irregularities or repeat offences, and visiting them to provide advice and guidance as well as to help them correct the mistakes without the fear of being fined. The local and federal governments aim to build a complementary and competitive relationship across markets in the UAE to strengthen business confidence, service quality and happiness,” said Lootah.