The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai — ICA Dubai — honoured the winners of the 14th edition of the 'Banner of Excellence' award for 2025–2026 at a ceremony held in the presence of His Excellency Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai; His Excellency Hessa Bou Humaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority; Abdullah Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Director General of the Dubai Government Human Resources Department; Dr Louay Mohammed Balhoul, Director General of the Dubai Government Legal Affairs Department; Major General Obaid Mahir bin Surour, Deputy Director General of ICA Dubai; Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahab Al Ansari, Director of the Strategy Office at the Dubai Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (Awqaf Dubai); and Ahmed Abdul Karim Al Fahim, Director of the Strategy and Institutional Excellence Office and Chairman of the Excellence Committee at the Dubai Sports Council — alongside assistant directors general, a number of officials from participating entities, and senior officers and staff.
The 14th edition of the 'Banner of Excellence' award recorded a remarkable level of nominations and evaluation, receiving 102 nomination applications across 14 institutional categories and 17 functional categories. These were subject to a comprehensive evaluation system in which 14 evaluators participated, logging a total of 125 evaluation hours — reflecting the maturity of the award's methodology and ICA Dubai's commitment to establishing precise and objective standards for measuring institutional and functional performance.
The results saw 55 winners honoured in the functional categories, along with a number of winning sectors, in addition to 9 special commendations recognising models of outstanding performance, commitment to developing the work system, and the ability to translate daily efforts into tangible institutional impact. A further 4 special commendations were awarded to national talents who had graduated from ICA Dubai's work environment and moved on to other government entities, in recognition of their distinguished professional careers and as an embodiment of the institution's role in nurturing and exporting leadership talents and high-calibre competencies to the government sector.
His Excellency Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri affirmed that the 'Banner of Excellence' award represents one of the key pillars in entrenching a culture of outstanding performance within ICA Dubai, noting that excellence is no longer a phased objective but has become a comprehensive institutional approach that keeps pace with the aspirations of the wise leadership towards building a more prepared, innovative, and sustainable government system.
His Excellency said: "What ICA Dubai has achieved through its continuous accomplishments is the fruit of the efforts of teams that believe excellence is a shared responsibility and a daily work culture. We believe that the true investment lies in empowering competencies and appreciating those with initiatives and ideas that make a difference, and that contribute to fostering a spirit of innovation, creativity, and development of the work system."