News
Dubai Starts App Development Program To Train 1,000 Emiratis
The scheme, called “Create Apps in Dubai” should triple the number of app creators by 2025.
On Wednesday, Dubai’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, launched a new ecosystem for developing digital applications and growing the pool of local talent within the emirate.
The scheme, known as Create Apps in Dubai, aims to transform Dubai into one of the world’s “most attractive destinations” for business opportunities. By 2025, the program should also have trained over 1,000 Emiratis and tripled the number of app creators. Additionally, 100 new national app projects will become available in digital stores over the next two years.
“The exponential growth of digital applications and platforms has created a new global competition for technological leadership. Dubai seeks to be at the forefront of this global race by providing a platform for fostering the development of 1,000 highly-skilled UAE nationals whose ideas and innovation will create a vibrant applications sector in Dubai,” says Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Dubai is seeking to solidify its position as a global capital of the digital economy, with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) plan preparing to help 30 private companies achieve $1 billion in value.
Also Read: ChatGPT Is Accelerating The AI Revolution In The Middle East
With global smartphone sales exceeding $448 billion and 2 million new apps and games created in 2021 alone, the sector represents a massive opportunity for investors, entrepreneurs and tech startups to thrive.
Create Apps in Dubai will be overseen by the Dubai Chamber for Digital Economy, and support development plans to “empower UAE citizens to play key roles in realizing the country’s digital vision”, a recent statement said.
The UAE’s digital economy will be worth $140 billion by 2031, up from nearly $38 billion, according to recent figures from the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
Also Read: RØDE Adds Direct iPhone Pairing To Wireless GO And Pro Mics
Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
GluCare Rebrands To Metabolic, Dropping Diabetes-Only Identity
Apple’s March 4 Event Rumored To Put New Macs In Play
Google Adds Arabic AI Music Creation For Ramadan
