Sharjah Finance Department Cultivates Culture of Innovation Across Its Operations

The Finance Department has launched a month-long initiative encouraging employees to reimagine workplace practices and develop solutions that enhance institutional performance, reflecting a broader commitment to embedding creative thinking at the heart of government.

Throughout November, the Sharjah Finance Department is orchestrating a series of practical workshops, interactive experiences and knowledge-sharing initiatives under the banner of Innovation Month 2026. Framed by the theme “We Are All Partners in Innovation”, the activities form part of the UAE Innovates initiative, and represent a deliberate effort to transform how the department approaches its work.

The programming reflects a conviction that innovation has moved from the realm of specialist teams and designated moments into a permanent institutional necessity. Badr Al Ali, Director of the Corporate Development and Excellence Office at the Sharjah Finance Department, articulates this shift with clarity. “Innovation in government is no longer an option associated with specific initiatives or occasions”, he explains. “It has become an institutional necessity, driven by the accelerating pace of development and society’s expectations for more efficient and effective services.”

The workshops emphasise practical skill development: problem-solving, strategic planning and collaborative teamwork sit alongside initiatives exploring artificial intelligence as a tool for entrepreneurial ventures. Rather than theory divorced from daily work, the department seeks to embed these capabilities into the rhythms of institutional life. The Finance Department will showcase three innovative projects developed within its operations, offering opportunities for knowledge exchange with other participating entities through collaboration with the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park.

Central to the initiative is a recognition that meaningful progress emerges from the people within an organisation. “We believe that meaningful progress begins with people, and that ideas emerging from everyday work have the potential to bring about significant improvements in performance and the quality of outcomes”, Al Ali notes. The department has built recognition programmes into the month’s activities, honouring outstanding ideas that have been successfully translated into practice, alongside video content capturing employees’ contributions and their innovative experiences.

This commitment aligns with as we reported in Sharjah’s recent Government Communication Award, which recognised innovation across artificial intelligence, youth engagement and crisis response. The Finance Department’s initiative reflects broader conversations within Sharjah about how public institutions can invest in their people and foster the institutional capabilities required to navigate an accelerating future.

Al Ali emphasises the shared nature of this endeavour. The theme “We Are All Partners in Innovation” signals that creativity belongs to no single department or level of hierarchy, but rather represents a collective responsibility. By creating a working environment where employees feel confident sharing ideas and experimenting with new solutions, the department seeks to establish innovation not as an occasional exercise but as an integral dimension of institutional culture.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

Sharjah’s Innovation Month reflects a philosophy taking root across the UAE: that government institutions must continuously adapt and improve to meet evolving public expectations. By formalising innovation through structured programming and institutional recognition, Sharjah signals that creative problem-solving is no longer peripheral to public service but central to it.

The initiative also underscores the importance of human capital development in the UAE’s economic and institutional future. As Badr Al Ali notes, the vision involves building government institutions capable of keeping pace with development and achieving sustainable progress. When public servants are empowered to contribute ideas and develop future-ready skills, entire institutions become more responsive, efficient and resilient.

Source: WAM