H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, inaugurated the first international campus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) at Dubai International Academic City, marking a milestone in higher education collaboration between the UAE and India.
Welcoming the globally renowned institution, Sheikh Hamdan said the opening underscores the UAE’s commitment to becoming a leading destination for education, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Education 33 Strategy, which aim to position Dubai among the world’s top three urban economies and top 10 student cities by 2033.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by senior UAE ministers and officials, including Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Sara bint Yousef Al Amiri, and Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, alongside Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and India’s Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir.
IIMA’s Dubai campus will initially launch with a one-year full-time MBA programme designed for global professionals and entrepreneurs seeking advanced management expertise. Structured across five terms, the programme offers rigorous academic training, international exposure, and reflects IIMA’s global standards in management education.
The Dubai campus will also establish two centres of excellence in its first year: one dedicated to case writing and development, and another to start-up incubation, further fostering innovation and cross-cultural academic collaboration.
Pankaj Patel, Chairperson of IIMA’s Board of Governors, called the launch a proud milestone that extends IIMA’s global footprint. Abdulla Belhoul, CEO of TECOM Group PJSC, added that the addition of IIMA strengthens Dubai’s growing higher education cluster, which already hosts over 85% of students enrolled in private higher education institutions across the city.
The establishment of IIMA’s Dubai campus reflects the growing India–UAE partnership in knowledge exchange, providing aspiring leaders across the Middle East with access to world-class management education while reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global hub for talent and innovation.
–Input WAM
