IMI Media Academy and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation (AGF) have launched a five-year partnership aimed at developing Arab media talent, with plans to reach 29,000 young people through training and learning initiatives.
Announced in Abu Dhabi on October 22, the partnership under Al Ghurair Voice Lab with IMI aims to connect education and skills development with practical industry experience, internships, placements, employment opportunities and professional development.
The agreement was signed by Ali Al Hammadi, chief operating officer at IMI, and Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of AGF, in the presence of Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and chairman of IMI, and Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, chairman of the AGF board.
The initiative brings together IMI Media Academy’s professional training capabilities and access to the media industry with AGF’s experience in education and youth empowerment. It comes as technological advances and changing audience behaviour reshape the skills required across the media sector.
Through Al Ghurair Voice Lab with IMI, the organisations will deliver seven interconnected programmes covering foundational media skills, advanced professional training, university curriculum integration, storytelling for school students, national youth initiatives and regional programmes across the Arab region.
The programmes will combine technical and professional training with practical learning, mentorship and exposure to media professionals and workplaces.
The partnership builds on the organisations’ existing collaboration through the Nomu Al Ghurair Siraj programme, which has equipped 450 graduates with future-ready media skills and provided opportunities to engage with the media industry. The new agreement expands the initiative, with a greater emphasis on translating training into professional opportunities.
Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of AGF, said: “Media has an important role in how our region sees itself and how others see us. That makes investing in the people who will shape its future especially important. Through this partnership with IMI, young people will have the chance to learn within a real media environment, develop their skills alongside professionals and see a clearer route into the industry. For us at AGF, that connection between learning and real opportunity is fundamental. We want young people across the Arab region to have the skills, the access and the space to contribute their perspectives and tell the stories of their communities.”
Khalid Al Hosani, director of operations at IMI Media Academy, said: “This partnership is about building a stronger pipeline of Arab media talent—not simply delivering training. By connecting education directly with practical experience, mentorship and professional opportunities, we will help thousands of young people move from learning about the media industry to actively contributing to it. Our ambition is to create a model that delivers measurable outcomes in the UAE and can be expanded across the region.”
Chantal Saliba, director of media and training at IMI Media Academy, said: “Media cannot be learned from a classroom alone. Young people need the opportunity to work with experienced professionals, understand how newsrooms and creative teams operate, and develop their own voices through practice. This partnership will give them that exposure—helping them build not only the technical skills required by today’s industry, but also the judgment, confidence and curiosity needed to shape its future.”
The partnership will begin in the UAE, with plans to expand across the region over the five-year period.
Established in 2015, AGF focuses on helping Emirati and Arab youth access quality education, employment and leadership opportunities. Together with the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund, the foundation says it has reached more than 433,000 young people.
