du Business targets 10,000 UAE SMEs with free Agentic AI training
du Business, the enterprise arm of UAE telecoms operator du, has announced a free upskilling programme aimed at equipping 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises across the UAE with practical agentic AI capabilities. The initiative, launched in Dubai on 18 August 2026, is structured around a "learning by doing" model that prioritises hands-on workshops over theoretical instruction, with delivery planned in phases across both in-person venues and online channels.
The programme targets business owners and their teams regardless of technical background. du says it will provide specialist trainers, curated training modules, and subject-matter expertise aligned with what it describes as global best practices in SME digital enablement. No tuition fee is charged to participants. The company did not disclose a timeline for reaching the 10,000-enterprise target, nor detail which agentic AI platforms or tooling the curriculum is built around.
The initiative
Karim Benkirane, Chief Commercial Officer at du, said: "We are making Agentic AI accessible, actionable, and achievable for businesses of every size across the UAE." The programme is positioned explicitly as support for the UAE's national AI strategy, which has set a target for the country to become a global leader in artificial intelligence and digital innovation. du says SME participants will be able to apply skills from day one to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs and strengthen customer engagement, though no quantified outcome data or pilot results were included in the announcement.
The phased rollout structure is designed to sustain onboarding momentum over time rather than deliver all training in a single cohort. du has not named a delivery or completion date for the full 10,000-enterprise target.
Market context
The UAE's AI push is one of the most aggressively funded in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, underpinned by the national AI Strategy 2031 and the activities of entities such as the Abu Dhabi-based AI holding company G42. Telecoms operators across the region have been moving to reposition themselves as managed digital services partners as traditional voice and data revenues plateau, making SME-focused AI enablement a strategically useful adjacency that also generates pipeline for cloud, connectivity and software products.
Globally, a growing number of operators and hyperscalers are running similar SME upskilling schemes. Microsoft's AI Skills Initiative, Google's Grow with Google programme and various national broadband-funded digital skills projects have established a template in which free training functions partly as top-of-funnel demand generation. For du, which competes domestically with Etisalat-parent e&, a large-scale programme targeting the SME segment could deepen commercial relationships ahead of upselling managed AI or cloud services.
Regulatory backdrop
The UAE AI Office and the Securities and Commodities Authority have both signalled interest in AI governance frameworks that balance innovation with accountability. Internationally, the EU AI Act's obligations on general-purpose AI systems are beginning to influence multinational vendors whose tooling feeds into programmes such as this one, adding compliance considerations that regional trainers will increasingly need to address. du has not indicated whether its curriculum will cover AI governance, data privacy under UAE Federal Law No. 45 of 2021, or sector-specific compliance requirements for SME participants in regulated industries such as financial services or healthcare.
The programme's scale ambition is notable; whether it converts into measurable AI adoption among UAE SMEs will depend on post-workshop support structures and the accessibility of the underlying tools beyond the training environment.