Mohammed bin Rashid honours 522 graduates at “1 Billion Summit”

January 09, 2026 / 9:50 PM

Sharjah 24 – WAM: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, attended the graduation ceremony of 522 content creators and new media specialists during the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest event dedicated to the content creator economy.

Completion of seven specialised programmes

The graduates completed seven specialised programmes organised by the UAE Government Media Office and the New Media Academy, in collaboration with strategic partners. His Highness emphasised that the newly qualified talent will contribute to government communication, the digital media ecosystem, and the effective global messaging of the UAE. “Investing in people is the foundation of building the future. Preparing professional content creators is essential to keeping pace with change,” Sheikh Mohammed said. The ceremony was also attended by H.E. Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs.

Graduating programmes overview

The programmes included the Impact Makers Initiative, which focuses on humanitarian storytelling and crisis communication, training media professionals and official spokespersons on press release writing, AI-supported content creation, and corporate reputation management. The Specialised Content Creators programme develops experts in sectors such as economy, health, law, agriculture, and food security into professional content creators, teaching storytelling, scriptwriting, digital editing, and the use of AI tools.

The Executive Diploma in Government Digital Communication celebrated its fourth cohort, which completed 76 intensive training hours over eight weeks. The programme strengthens government communication teams by adopting global best practices and enhancing digital leadership skills under the guidance of leading academics and international experts. The Historical Content Creators programme trains storytellers to present Arab history and heritage through engaging digital formats, covering storytelling, production, digital marketing, and AI-powered content tools.

The Economic Content Pioneers programme, part of the national campaign “The Emirates: The Start-up Capital of the World”, empowers Emirati and Arab youth to create impactful economic and entrepreneurial content, with training in digital marketing, branding, storytelling, and AI tools for content creation. The sixth edition of the Faris Al Muhtawa programme emphasised ethical and effective AI use, helping Arab digital creators expand their reach while maintaining human creativity. Finally, the Social Media Professional Programme equips digital communication professionals and marketing managers with AI-driven marketing tools, campaign planning, audience-centric strategy design, and performance analysis to build strong and effective social media brands.

1 Billion Followers Summit overview

Organised by the UAE Government Media Office, the summit runs from 9 to 11 January 2026 at Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre, and the Museum of the Future. The event has brought together over 15,000 content creators, more than 500 speakers, and a combined audience exceeding 3.5 billion followers worldwide, under the theme “Content for Good.”