The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) conducted a training programme in collaboration with renowned German business school WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management from February 11 to March 4, 2022.

The two parties had signed a service agreement, where MBRSG agreed to organise three study trips for three separate groups of WHU MBA students who took part in the ‘Dubai Module: Doing business in Dubai, UAE’ programme. The field trips were delivered in English and designed to accommodate 96 participants (32 for each batch) from 27+ nationalities. They took place over the course of six days for each group (18 days in total) with group one’s trip taken on February 12-17, followed by group two on February 19-24, and then group three wrapping up the series with a trip from February 26 until March 4, 2022. 

His Excellency Dr Ali bin Sebaa Al Marri, Executive President of MBRSG, said: “The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government remains committed to its mission to train and empower the government and public policy leaders of the future, in line with the UAE leadership’s directives for the next 50 years, which call on us to plan ahead, set a roadmap for the future, and train and empower talented leaders to make these aspirations a reality. We are just as committed to sharing our knowledge and our advanced programmes with partners across the board, particularly renowned academic and professional education institutions like WHU.”

For his part, Dr Immanuel Azaad Moonesar, Associate Professor in Health Administration and Policy, who was assigned to the programme, noted: “The agreement we have signed with WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management allows MBRSG to fulfil its role to prepare professionals and leaders for the requirements of the future. We are delighted to welcome promising MBA students from Germany and to help them explore the UAE’s institutions and the prospects of doing business here. This, in turn, enables us to play our part in fulfilling the UAE’s vision to build a robust network of partnerships with influential institutions all around the world.”


In his role as a Deputy Dean of WHU, Professor Dr Juergen Weigand expressed that “MBRSG provides our students with a fantastic opportunity to learn about a country’s economic development strategy and the interaction between the private sector and the government in a culturally distinct environment.”

Highlighting the collaboration with MBRSG, Dr Zeeshan Sultan, Program Director - MBA at WHU, noted that “the study trip to Dubai, in collaboration with MBRSG, provides WHU students the right mix of cross-cultural integration with theoretical frameworks to navigate the cultural and business environment in the UAE.”

The programme, ‘Doing business in Dubai, UAE’, was designed to include interactive lectures by expert instructors, interactive workshops, group activities, and site visits to Dubai Government entities, such as the Department of Economy and Tourism, International Humanitarian City, Dubai Duty-Free, and Emaar Properties, in addition to private sector companies, such as Henkel-Middle East and Microsoft. Meanwhile, the Expo 2020 Dubai site tour included formal visits to the UN Hub at the Mission Possible – Opportunity Pavillion, the KSA pavilion, Campus Germany, and DP World. Upon completing the course, each participant was awarded a completion certificate from MBRSG.

The ‘Study Abroad Trip’ sought to reinforce classroom teaching and allow WHU students to learn more about doing business in the UAE, using real-life case studies on culture, international business policies, global governance, crisis management (including pandemics), social entrepreneurship, competitiveness, and economics. It addressed three key gaps: the Jurisdictional Gap between the growing need for global governance in many sectors and the absence of an authority with the power to take action; the Incentive Gap between the demand for international cooperation and the motivation to undertake it; and the Participation Gap, which refers to international cooperation.

Founded in 1984 on the initiative of the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce and Industry, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a leading German business school, offering academic programmes and continuing education for executives throughout their career in two locations: Vallendar and Dusseldorf, Germany. The faculty focuses on three core areas of activity: academic programmes, research, and knowledge transfer in general management.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government is the first research and teaching institution focusing on governance and public policy in the Arab world, offering academic and training programmes that aim to train future leaders and prepare them to meet public administration and policy challenges across the region. Courses are developed and delivered by a diverse group of scholars, academics, and researchers.