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Dubai Municipality equips leaders with future foresight expertise through advanced MicroMasters training programme

• Initiative enhances strategic decision-making across Dubai Municipality’s departments.
• Delivered by RIT Dubai, the programme embeds scenario planning and foresight skills across leadership cadres.
• Aligned with Dubai’s vision for long-term sustainability, innovation, and global competitiveness.

Dubai Municipality has launched an advanced training initiative focused on future foresight and strategic planning for municipal work, enrolling a cohort of senior professionals in the Future Foresight – A MicroMasters Program delivered in partnership with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai.

Formally announced on the opening day of Urban Future Week 2025, launched by Dubai Municipality in collaboration with the Museum of the Future, this initiative further affirms Dubai Municipality’s commitment to developing forward-thinking urban leadership and shaping cities that are agile, sustainable, and citizen-centric.

The initiative is designed to institutionalise future foresight capabilities across the Municipality’s strategic leadership, equipping participants with the tools to anticipate trends, manage uncertainty, and formulate adaptive strategies that support Dubai’s long-term urban, environmental, and economic objectives.

His Excellency Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “Anticipating change is not a luxury; it is a responsibility that reinforces our collective readiness for the future. It strengthens municipal leadership and builds advanced capabilities in future foresight, ensuring our teams are more agile and better equipped to manage operations and make informed decisions grounded in emerging trends. Through this programme, we are empowering our leaders to adopt proactive thinking methodologies that shape the future rather than respond to it. This reflects our commitment to enhancing governance systems and institutional agility based on flexibility and foresight, and to supporting Dubai’s ambition to remain an inclusive, pioneering city distinguished by its quality of life and sustainability.”

Dr Yousef Al Assaf, President of RIT Dubai, said: “This first-of-its-kind MicromMaster created by RIT Dubai for Dubai municipality sets a great exemplar for how public and private sectors along with the academia can collaborate to prepare and invent futures. The ecosystem we are working towards, is one that is welcoming all sectors from the UAE and beyond to create and understand all possible scenarios. The program would help in enhancing the skillset of participants exploring future scenarios, developing innovative solutions, and asking the right questions to stay ahead of change.”

The comprehensive programme explores qualitative and quantitative foresight methodologies—ranging from scenario planning and strategic roadmapping to environmental scanning and vision-building. Participants will undertake hands-on capstone projects addressing real-world challenges, supported by international foresight experts.

The training underscores Dubai Municipality’s commitment to embedding anticipatory governance and strategic resilience into every facet of its operations. The programme aligns closely with the priorities of the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040, UAE Centennial 2071, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and Goal 13 (Climate Action).

By advancing future-focused leadership competencies, the initiative supports the Municipality’s ambition to lead with foresight, readiness, and institutional agility. Participants will emerge with the capacity to lead foresight-driven planning exercises, design policy interventions under complexity, and contribute to sustainable urban development across Dubai.