Dubai RTA makes regional history with first APQC excellence centre in MENA
New hub standardises operations and strengthens workforce capability
DUBAI – Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has launched the Institutional Readiness and Sustainable Development Centre, marking a regional first in organisational excellence.
The initiative establishes a dedicated internal hub focused on process architecture, performance management and long-term institutional resilience. It is also the first time the American Productivity & Quality Centre has set up a performance excellence centre in the Middle East and North Africa.
RTA confirmed that APQC, a globally recognised authority in benchmarking and process improvement, has been appointed as the founding member through a strategic partnership agreement. The move positions the authority at the centre of global best practice adoption in process management and operational standards.
Institutional Readiness and Sustainable Development Centre
According to RTA, the Centre is designed to strengthen internal capabilities by standardising operations and building a self-sustaining workforce aligned with internationally validated frameworks. The focus remains on internal development, talent enablement and structured performance measurement across departments.
Moaza Saeed Al Marri, Chief Executive Officer of Executive Affairs Sector at RTA, described the launch as a long-term strategic investment in institutional resilience and national talent. She said hosting APQC as the founding member gives RTA teams access to a globally recognised and validated unified operational reference model.
She added that the Centre is structured to evolve over time and is expected to grow into a broader ecosystem of international standards and frameworks supporting agility and sustainability across the authority’s functions.
Global frameworks
APQC said the collaboration reflects RTA’s continued commitment to world-class standards and structured performance improvement. Cathy Hill, Chief Development Officer at APQC, said the organisation is honoured to join as the founding member of the Centre and described the hub as a model for smarter and faster organisational performance.
She noted that the partnership supports a shared objective of driving productivity and institutional readiness through proven and validated frameworks. The Centre will apply global standards to create a common language for managing work processes and enable organisation-wide alignment through benchmarking and best practice research.
RTA stated that APQC will serve as the foundational pillar for performance excellence within the Centre, with additional global institutes expected to be integrated in later phases as part of expansion plans.
RTA Way
The authority said the Centre will function as a permanent high-performance asset rather than a consultancy-led service model. Global best practices will be translated into a standardised internal architecture owned and operated by RTA teams.
Under what it calls the “RTA Way”, the framework will embed globally validated standards directly into internal operations, supporting consistent process governance and sustainable organisational development across the authority.