Ahmed bin Hamed al Hamed
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamed Al Hamed was an Emirati royal and politician who served as first minister of information and tourism of the United Arab Emirates and was member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.
Personal life
Sheikh Ahmed was born in 1929 in Abu Dhabi. He is maternal cousin to the country's founding president, Sheikh Zayed, and uncle to the president, Sheikh Khalifa.Contributions
Before the union of UAE, Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamed al Hamed was the head of Abu Dhabi labor department. He also headed the department of employers and employee and tourism affairs in Abu Dhabi.Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamed al Hamed was the UAE's first Minister of Information and Tourism. Sheikh Ahmed was a member of the First Cabinet of Ministers which was created right after the union. Sheikh Ahmed is credited to be the pioneer of the media industry in UAE. During Abu Dhabi's oil boom of the 1960s and 1970s, he was the man behind the management of the Government media.
Under Sheikh Ahmed's guidance, The National's Arabic-language sister paper, Al Ittihad, was launched in 1969. He was also responsible for the launch of Abu Dhabi television. He also established Abu Dhabi's first radio station and organised archaeological expeditions which found several artifacts now in Emirate's museums.
He remained in his position as Minister of Information and Tourism, and later became Minister of Information and Culture, throughout the second, third and fourth Cabinets that were formed in the 1970s.
He is respected for preserving the culture, national and Islamic heritage at the time of change.