The top management of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), headed by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, has organised a workshop to review its strategy and launch the updated DEWA 2021 strategy. Updating DEWA 2021 underlines DEWA's commitment to keep up with all the latest developments. The workshop, which was held at the St. Regis hotel in Al Habtoor City, was attended by DEWA's Executive Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, and management team.

In his opening speech, Al Tayer emphasised the key role of DEWA 2021 to achieve the goals of the UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Plan 2021. It adheres to the directives of the wise leadership, the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the strategies of Dubai Government, the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, and the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. It also supports the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, which was launched by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and also supports the Dubai Integrated Gas Strategy, the Demand-Side Management Strategy, the Carbon Abatement Strategy, and the Dubai Green Mobility initiative. DEWA 2021 also adapts to other inputs, such as the expected growth in demand, major projects underway in the Emirate, and the strategies and initiatives of other local and federal government organisations. This supports the vision of the wise leadership to develop a green and sustainable economy in Dubai and the UAE. 

Al Tayer noted that DEWA has aligned its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy to support the Year of Giving initiative, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to implement initiatives to support everyone in the UAE, and establish a permanent change in the way the next generation helps the UAE. The Higher Committee of the Year of Giving at DEWA has approved 12 main programmes to provide 27 social and humanitarian initiatives, covering the three themes of the Year of Giving.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum once observed that, "Without a vision to guide our path, and without ambition that knows no limits, we can never build a bright future for generations to come." For us at DEWA, strategic planning is a key component of a comprehensive system of integrated organisational work. This puts excellence, innovation, and good governance at the forefront of our strategic priorities and ensures the integration and sustainability of all our projects and services, while enhancing DEWA's global competitiveness. We do this according to a vision that is based on innovation, as a well-established approach to achieving common goals and improving overall performance," said Al Tayer.

"The annual review of DEWA's strategy ensures its contribution to DEWA's competitiveness, and its excellence in anticipating and shaping the future, developing long-term plans to reach the government of the future and keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, by using disruptive technologies to produce, transmit, and distribute electricity and water, to achieve DEWA's vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility." 

"We operate according to the framework of the fourth generation of the Government Excellence System launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, for the Government of Dubai to adopt the framework and principles of the fourth generation of the Government Excellence System. DEWA works according to its main themes to achieve the highest standards of excellence and leadership. This supports our strategy to provide world-class government services, and adopt best international practices," said Al Tayer.

"I thank all the divisions for their continuous efforts to improve DEWA's excellence to the highest levels. I also commend the efforts of all the teams across DEWA for their active participation in the development and implementation of DEWA's organisational and operational strategies. These efforts pave the way for us to contribute to achieving the UAE Vision 2021, to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world when we celebrate the golden jubilee of the Union. Your efforts will also enable DEWA to make more achievements to contribute to a prosperous, sustainable, brighter and happier future, for generations to come," concluded Al Tayer.

Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at DEWA, noted that the factors that define DEWA's strategic direction include its vision, mission, motto, and values. Strategic objectives are then identified and incorporated into its respective themes and the four perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard: the Triple Bottom Line, Stakeholders, Internal Processes, and Learning & Growth. DEWA adopts a comprehensive approach for strategic planning that include six main phases: Strategic Plan Preparation and Approval, Strategy Communications, Cascading and Alignment, Implementation and Execution, Assessment and Review, Innovation, and Improvement and Adaptation.