A strong foundation

By the start of the 21st century, the Al Ghurair business empire spanned 20 countries, employed 28,000 staff, and had operations in multiple industry sectors. One of the largest diversified family business groups in the Middle East, it was a living example of the UAE's rapid growth. Once a little-known trading post on the edge of the Arabian Gulf, by the 2000s, the country had become a major economic player with booming tourism, real estate, and financial sectors.

The UAE's wider influence was also on the rise; it was starting to take more prominent roles in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and between 2012 and 2017, it was the world's leading donor of overseas development assistance (ODA).

One of the largest family foundations to be formed in the UAE, AGF has created a new model for philanthropy, breaking the mould of traditional CSR-backed initiatives. Although still committed to helping those in need, significantly, it sets out to do so in a strategic way, applying patient capital to address systemic issues, rather than simply plugging gaps with one-off donations or short-term funding.

Chaired by Abdul Aziz, whose younger brothers Sultan and Rashid are also on the board, AGF is the embodiment of Abdulla's values. Its purpose is “to empower Emirati and Arab youth through education so that they can thrive and contribute to the development of the region” and it works “to cultivate sustainable innovative education solutions through authentic partnerships”.

Abdul Aziz says his father was inspired by the UAE's founding president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who steered the country from its humble beginnings to become the economic powerhouse it is today and who said: “I could invest in anything, so I invested in people”.

AGF's formation came at a crucial time for the region, which has the world's highest and the fastest-growing unemployment rate of young people aged between 15 and 24 years and where millions struggle to access quality education and secure jobs. This high rate of joblessness – currently around one in four – has been a contributing factor to episodes of civil and political unrest. Moreover, the war in Syria put additional pressure on job markets in Jordan and Lebanon, where millions of Syrian refugees settled.

Even in the comparably affluent Gulf states like the UAE, where education is heavily subsidised and generally accessible, many young people have struggled to convert their qualifications into employment due to skills gaps and a lack of work-place readiness.

Based on Abdullah's belief that education “is the cornerstone of prosperous, progressive, and inclusive societies”, AGF has sought to tackle the regional challenges head-on, by not only giving young Arabs access to quality education, but also partnering with employers to support people into the workplace and be “a vehicle for elevated livelihoods”.

Between 2016 and 2022, the Foundation assisted more than 1,200 young Arabs to access higher education via a mix of scholarships, in-person and online courses, and through academic support, mentoring, careers advice, and internship opportunities, helped convert qualifications into meaningful employment.

Flagship projects during this period included the Al Ghurair STEM Scholars Programme and the Al Ghurair Open Learning Scholars Programme (OLSP). The Foundation also launched innovative partnerships with leading global higher education institutions, including the Arizona State University (ASU), the American University of Beirut (AUB), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“We approach our work with strong values at our core that our benefactor has made it very clear to us,” explains Sonia Ben Jaafar, AGF's CEO, who says the Foundation is committed to creating long-term change, authentic partnerships, and “not education for education's sake, but something that will lead to improved standards of living for all”. Despite the clear success of its scholarship programmes, AGF has sought in recent years to expand its reach by focussing on not just helping a handful of youth into education, but rather addressing systemic challenges.

CEO Ben Jaafar explains: “We're working towards a deeper, broader, and more lasting positive impact because we want to improve the education and talent ecosystem, we don't just want to help a select few. When you come from poverty or an underserved community, you have to shine brighter than a star to be able to be given an opportunity. That's just not fair… and that's why the system needs to change and why we're trying to be a part of the solution.”

This approach involves working directly with universities to develop more accessible online and micro courses that are accredited. “We’re not spending our time choosing a handful of students to access a handful of institutions,” Jafar says. “Rather, we are finding ways to lower the barriers so that more students can access relevant courses at those institutions.”

Describing AGF’s work as “a small piece of a large puzzle” when it comes to tackling education and youth employment, Ben Jaafar says: “Abdulla Al Ghurair and HE Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair are business-minded people, but in this instance, rather than looking at outcomes in term of turnover and revenues, they are looking at outcomes in terms of educating people in the Arab region so they can get jobs and sustain livelihoods.” And she adds: “That’s our target outcome, so whenever we do something, we think of that, and then we map backwards and whenever we find barriers, we try to find solutions.”

The Foundation's shift from providing scholarships and associated support such as mentoring and careers advice to individuals, to creating new models and promoting strategic and systemic change across the regional education ecosystem is part of its commitment to leave more than just a physical footprint in the name of the Al Ghurair family, but rather a legacy of shaping in policy and wider access for a whole generation of Arab youth.

Thought leadership is also a significant part of AGF's work, and despite its youth, the Foundation firmly established itself as a regional leader in terms of its approach to research into and knowledge about education policy and delivery. It regularly convenes global experts and thought leaders to facilitate high-level discussion about education policy and approaches and CEO Ben Jaafar is a respected regional voice on all matters of education. Creating this footprint of deep learning and long-lasting evidence-based research is intertwined with the Foundation's mission to not simply make financial contributions towards physical programmes, but to inform and support future leaders and policy makers.

Looking ahead to 2025, AGF has set a target of supporting 200,000 Emirati and Arab learners to help them become ready for higher education with a path to sustainable elevated livelihoods through high-quality educational solutions. All of AGF's programmes are designed to complement the UAE's National Innovation Strategy and the National Higher Education Strategy 2030, and this synergy is a clear demonstration of how philanthropy can be leveraged to support national policy and outcomes.