‏Ajman Municipality Wins Four Stevie MENA 2026 Awards for Excellence in Government Innovation and Sustainability

Ajman, 12 September 2026

The Ajman Department of Municipality and Planning has won one Gold, two Silver and one Bronze award at the 2026 Stevie Awards for the Middle East and North Africa. The achievement reflects the Department’s institutional excellence in government innovation, sustainability, the circular economy and the transition towards smart cities. It also underscores the Department’s ability to translate strategic directions into operating systems and projects with measurable impact, while strengthening its presence within the regional government-excellence ecosystem.

The Department won the Gold award in the Innovative Management in the Government Sectorcategory for organisations with 100 or more employees. It also received two Silver awards in the Most Innovative Circular Economy Practices and Urban Sustainability and Smart City Transformation categories, confirming the integration of the working model developed by the Department and its linkage of modern management, sustainability and smart technologies.

Dr. Eng. Khalid Moein Al Housani, Executive Director of the Public Health and Environment Sector, received the awards on behalf of the Department. He said that the achievement is the outcome of an institutional journey based on moving beyond isolated initiatives to build interconnected government systems founded on data and knowledge, linking planning, implementation and impact measurement.

The awards crowned the Department’s efforts to develop an integrated environmental and public-health operating system. These efforts encompassed more than 30 strategic projects in environmental protection, sustainability, public health and digital transformation, in addition to the development of environmental monitoring systems, smart inspection tools, environmental-data platforms and a mobile environmental laboratory. Together, these initiatives have enhanced the ability of the relevant entities to make decisions more rapidly and accurately.

Over this period, the Department also achieved qualitative results, including 100% reuse of treated water, the expansion of green spaces by approximately 2.3 million square metres, the strengthening of the air-quality system, and broader use of digital solutions in environmental oversight and decision-making. These results support the Emirate’s direction towards improving resource efficiency, enhancing quality of life and advancing environmental sustainability.

The Department’s model is distinguished by its close connection to applied scientific research, which serves as one of the fundamental enablers for transforming environmental challenges into applicable knowledge, scientific evidence that supports decision-making, and innovative solutions aligned with the Emirate’s strategic directions. Field data and scientific knowledge have been used to study environmental challenges, analyse their causes, build models and tools, develop measurement indicators, and support planning and policy formulation. This strengthens the transition from responding to challenges to anticipating them, and from experience-based decisions to decisions grounded in evidence and data.

Dr. Eng. Khalid Al Housani’s documented research portfolio includes 19 published scientific outputs. Taken together, they constitute an integrated research system directly linked to Ajman’s development, sustainability and government-work priorities. They cover the circular economy; municipal and industrial waste management; public-private partnerships; air quality and environmental health; emissions reduction; urban sustainability; and applications of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in environmental systems. The value of this research is not limited to its academic dimension; it also extends to supporting the development of policies and regulatory frameworks, improving the efficiency of environmental services, strengthening monitoring and measurement capabilities, developing forecasting and planning tools, and opening new pathways for innovation, investment and institutional partnerships.

This award-winning model also serves as a tool for future foresight and a source of solutions that support Ajman’s sustainability, carbon-neutrality and transition-to-a-more-efficient-and-circular-economy targets. It reinforces Ajman’s position as a model for employing research, innovation and modern technologies to address environmental challenges and shape a more sustainable and resilient urban future.

Al Housani said that the achievement embodies a clear institutional approach at the Department of Municipality and Planning, founded on employing science, knowledge and innovation as effective tools for decision-making and impact delivery. “We have been keen to ensure that scientific research is connected to the real challenges and strategic priorities of the Emirate, and that its outputs—knowledge, studies and data—are transformed into measurable and applicable policies, tools, projects and solutions. We also use data and modern technologies, including artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, to strengthen our ability to anticipate environmental challenges, raise resource-management efficiency, improve quality of life, and support Ajman’s journey towards sustainability and carbon neutrality,” he said.

He added that the next phase will see this approach expanded through deeper integration of scientific research with planning and policymaking, the strengthening of the circular economy, the development of smart environmental systems, and broader use of data, scientific models and artificial intelligence to anticipate challenges and inform decision-making, alongside the development of scalable solutions for innovation and sustainability.

The Department also won the Bronze award in the Innovation in Government Services categoryfor its Smart Maps in Investment project. The project was recognised for using digital technologies and geospatial data to support investors, facilitate access to investment opportunities, and enhance the efficiency and quality of government services. It aligns with the direction towards creating a competitive business environment and an investment climate that drives economic growth.