Sobha Realty's AED500m Commitment to Arab Reading Challenge

In a significant move announced in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sobha Realty has committed AED500 million to create an endowment for the Arab Reading Challenge. This contribution, made under the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), aims to provide steady funding for the largest Arabic-language reading competition in the world.

The agreement was sealed during a ceremony at the Dubai World Trade Centre, coinciding with the celebration of the 2025 Arab Reading Champion. His Excellency Mohammad Al Gergawi, Secretary-General of MBRGI, and PNC Menon, Founder and Chairman of Sobha Realty, represented both parties in marking this landmark event, highlighting a significant step forward for cultural and educational growth in the region.

Sobha Realty plans to establish an endowment project in Dubai, with profits allocated to advancing the Arab Reading Challenge’s long-term ambitions—encouraging reading among students and empowering young Arabs to harness knowledge, innovation, and culture as avenues for development.

Initiated in 2015 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Arab Reading Challenge has become a pivotal literacy initiative in the Arab world. To date, over 163 million students from 50 countries have engaged in nine editions of the challenge, showcasing a remarkable growth of 795% since its inception. The competition offers annual prizes worth AED11 million, celebrating achievers among students, schools, supervisors, and local leaders.

In December 2024, the Arab League formally encouraged education ministries to incorporate this challenge into educational curricula, recognizing it as a transformative effort that fortifies Arabic as a central thread in cultural identity.

Sobha Realty’s substantial endowment will invigorate this initiative, ensuring that the love for reading captivates millions of young Arabs and secures the pursuit of knowledge at the core of the region’s future.