Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced the winners of ‘The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge’, a competition held in partnership with Emirates Schools Establishment (ESE) and BMW Group to inspire and raise school students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The winning teams were recognised by Her Excellency Hessa Ahmed Rasheed, Executive Director of School Development Sector at Emirates Schools Establishment, and Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, at a ceremony held at EGA Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi. 

Her Excellency Hessa Ahmed Rasheed of Emirates Schools Establishment said: “The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge is a vital initiative that reinforces EGA and Emirates Schools Establishment collaborative efforts to encourage and nurture students' interest in STEM education and help establish a strong foundation for the future of our workforce. The Establishment continues to build bridges of cooperation and coordination with all partners in the public and private sectors, to support students in their academic and practical journey by involving them in many pioneering programs to qualify them for the future.

Her Excellency congratulated the students who won the challenge, expressing her great confidence in their abilities and skills, wishing them all the luck in the future.

Out of 105 team applications received across the UAE, 20 teams were shortlisted to participate in the competition. Shortlisted students from grades nine to 12 were invited to apply their STEM skills to creatively design an innovative project using aluminium in one of the four challenge categories -  architecture, green solutions, product design and sustainable mobility.

The winning teams in each category are:

  • Jameela Bu Heired School in the Architecture category
  • Al Ma'arif 2 School in the Green solutions category
  • Al Maseera School in the Product design category
  • Dubai National School - Twar in the Sustainable mobility category

 Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: "Achieving our national goals requires more young people to study and ultimately pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The high number of applications for ‘The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge’ shows the interest amongst students in these subjects. The high quality of the entries gives me great confidence that the coming generation will reach new heights for our country. Congratulations to all the winners.”

‘The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Design Challenge’ is part of EGA’s ‘Engineer the Future’ programme, which introduces school students in the UAE to the real-life application in industry of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Over the course of four weeks, students were mentored by young EGA engineers. The students were also provided with the necessary resources and tools to complete their projects.

In addition, EGA also runs an annual industrial robotics competition that aims to provide university engineering students with real-life experience of robotics, automation, and big data. Last year, EGA programmes inspired young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics reached more than 6,000 students.

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Contacts at EGA:
Simon Buerk
sbuerk@ega.ae

About EGA

 Since 1975, when it was founded as Dubai Aluminium by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Global Aluminium has been innovating aluminium to make modern life possible.

Today EGA is the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas industry.

EGA is equally-owned by Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is the largest company jointly owned by the two Emirates.

EGA is an integrated aluminium producer, with operations from bauxite mining to the production of cast primary aluminium. EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah and a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea.

EGA’s aluminium is the second largest made-in-the UAE export after oil and gas. In 2022, EGA sold 2.72 million tonnes of cast metal. EGA is the only UAE producer and makes the UAE the fifth largest aluminium producing nation in the world.

EGA has more than 400 customers in over 50 countries. In 2022, value-added products accounted for 78 per cent of EGA’s cast metal sales.

EGA’s aluminium is primarily used in the construction, automotive, packaging, aerospace and electronics industries.

Around 10 per cent of EGA’s aluminium production is sold in the UAE to around 20 downstream aluminium companies that make products with EGA’s aluminium. The growing broader aluminium sector in the UAE supports almost 50,000 jobs. EGA itself employs around 6,500 of these people including more than 1,200 UAE Nationals.

EGA has focused on technology development for over 30 years. EGA has used its own technology for every smelter expansion since the 1990s and has retrofitted all its older production lines. In 2016 EGA became the first UAE industrial company to licence its core industrial process technology internationally.

As a corporate citizen of the UAE, EGA aspires in all its operations to be measured amongst the world’s leading metals and mining companies in meeting its environmental and social responsibilities. In 2017, EGA became the first Middle East headquartered company to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, a global programme to foster greater sustainability and transparency in the aluminium industry. In 2019, EGA’s Al Taweelah site became the first in the Middle East to receive certification from ASI for its sustainability practices and performance. EGA’s Jebel Ali site was certified in 2021. ASI certification is the aluminium industry’s internationally recognised standard for environmental and social performance and governance.

In 2021, EGA began production of CelestiAL solar aluminium, produced with solar power from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park on the outskirts of Dubai. EGA is the first company in the world to make aluminium commercially using the power of the sun. 

EGA was formed in 2014 through the merger of Dubai Aluminium and Emirates Aluminium.

EGA’s Jebel Ali aluminium smelter began production as DUBAL in 1979. At almost five square kilometres, this site is five times bigger than Dubai Mall.

EMAL started production in 2009 and its Al Taweelah aluminium smelter was the largest single-site aluminium smelter in the world when completed. EGA’s Al Taweelah site is five times bigger than Al Maryah Island at six square kilometres.

EGA has its own power stations at both sites, producing electricity to meet its needs. EGA’s electricity generation capacity is 6,474 megawatts, making EGA the third largest electricity generator in the UAE after the Dubai and Abu Dhabi utilities. EGA also produces water through desalination units at its power plants.

EGA began production at Al Taweelah alumina refinery in April 2019. EGA’s alumina refinery is the first in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East. The project reduces the UAE’s dependence on imported alumina and supplies over 45 per cent of EGA’s needs.

Bauxite exports from Guinea Alumina Corporation, EGA’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Guinea, began in August 2019. The GAC project was one of the largest greenfield investments in Guinea in over 40 years.

 For more information on EGA please visit www.ega.ae.