News

The UAE’s First Women-Only Job Portal Officially Launches

The pioneering platform could revolutionize recruitment by catering exclusively to female professionals.

Published

3 years ago

January 16, 2024

the uae's first women-only job portal officially launches

The UAE’s first women-only employment portal, Women First Jobs, has officially launched, marking a significant milestone in enhancing female participation in the workforce of the United Arab Emirates. The innovative platform, founded by Priyanka Sengar, is poised to revolutionize the recruitment landscape by exclusively catering to female professionals seeking careers in the banking, fintech, edtech, hospitality, healthcare, food, logistics, and IT sectors.

The recruitment platform’s goals align with the vision set out by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council. The council’s initiatives include:

Achieving pay parity.
Advancing gender equality throughout recruitment and career progression.
Integrating gender balance perspectives.
Fostering transparency.

Women First Jobs will also assume a crucial role in supporting corporate returnship programs by providing mentorship and training to women re-entering the workforce after maternity breaks or career hiatuses. The initiatives underscore the platform’s unwavering commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive professional atmosphere for women at all career stages.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Freelance Platforms In The Middle East

Finally, Women First Jobs plans to allocate a substantial portion of its proceeds to global non-governmental organizations, with a primary focus on the development of women and children. The initiatives not only support localization efforts but also align with the mandates of GCC governments in areas such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG), and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

News

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

5 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.