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Arabic Apps development fund launched at twofour54

twofour54 tadreeb named Apple Authorised Training Centre

Abu Dhabi: twofour54 is to launch an Arabic applications development fund for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad called 'AppsArabia'. The fund will be offered by twofour54 ibitkar, which provides funding and support to start-up and early stage Arabic content initiatives.

'AppsArabia' will invest in the best ideas for apps from entrepreneurs, app developers and businesses, and provide commercial guidance, resources and marketing support to make these apps successful. A new community web site, www.appsarabia.com, has been established to provide a supportive marketplace for all stakeholders in apps development - entrepreneurs, designers, developers and corporate clients.

"iPhone OS is the world's most advanced mobile platform and, with more than 4 billion apps already downloaded from the App Store, it presents a huge opportunity for developers in the Middle East", commented Tony Orsten, CEO, twofour54 . "Mobile adoption in the region is soaring and 'AppsArabia' will empower Arab entrepreneurs to create apps that address the growing demand for local content."

At the same time the company announced that its training academy, twofour54 tadreeb, has been appointed a Pro-Apps Apple Authorised Training Centre (AATC). The certification and training courses will follow Apple's official pro applications curriculum and offer a range of training options on Apple's professional photography, audio and film-industry software products including Aperture, Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server and Logic Studio. The courses will be delivered by Apple Certified Trainers who maintain Apple's highest quality standards.

"We recognise the need to provide world-class training to existing and aspiring media professionals in the region, which is why we have obtained Apple training accreditation," added Wayne Borg, COO of twofour54 . "Becoming an Apple Authorised Training Centre further enhances twofour54 's reputation as a centre of excellence for content creation in the Middle East and enables us to offer the highest-quality training experience to help the region reach its full potential."

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About twofour54
twofour54 is an Abu Dhabi government initiative and an integral part of its 2030 plan, which seeks to diversify the Emirate's economy and establish the Emirate as the cultural capital of the Middle East. Its vision is to establish a sustainable Arabic media and entertainment content creation industry in Abu Dhabi; a regional centre of excellence which is internationally renowned. The aim is to stimulate creative and professional partnerships in the television, radio, film, publishing, online, mobile, music, gaming and animation industries.

The company provides a collaborative and supportive ecosystem that will allow the establishment of a world-class media industry for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The focus is on developing Arabic media and entertainment content by Arabs and for the Arab audience.

twofour54 delivers its advanced cohesive infrastructure through three key pillars: twofour54 tadreeb (the training academy), twofour54 ibtikar (innovation and support) and twofour54 intaj (state-of-the-art production facilities) supported by business enabler twofour54 tawasol (one-stop-shop).

twofour54 has already attracted several of the region and world's largest and most influential content creation companies, including CNN, BBC, Thomson Foundation, Rotana Studios, Financial Times, Abu Dhabi Media Company, imagenation, C Sky Pictures, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Flash, PyraMedia, Getmo Arabia, Experience Media Studios and Baynounah Media Company. Each of these partners has recognised the vast opportunity that the Arab world represents for growth and has committed significant investment and resources to business initiatives that will be led out of twofour54 .

The name twofour54 is taken from Abu Dhabi's geographical coordinates, which are latitude 24 north, longitude 54 east. This name was chosen to symbolise Abu Dhabi's strategic position within the Middle East, which makes it the ideal location for the centre of excellence for content creation in the Arab region.

For more information contact:
Noor Barghouti, Hill & Knowlton
Email: noor.barghouti@hillandknowlton.com
Phone: +971 (0) 2 447 2805 ext:105

© Press Release 2010