The Thomson Reuters Foundation has joined other media companies in signing up to a multi-media centre in the United Arab Emirates to train, develop and promote Arab talent in journalism, broadcasting, film-making and publishing.

“We hope to create a centre of excellence to provide training for Arab journalists in fields that have not been touched in this region before such as multi-media," said Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"We will focus on their needs by putting our expertise and high standards at the service of journalists in the region."

Watch a video of Monique Villa talking about the Foundation's links to the project

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has been seeking to turn itself into an industrial, financial and cultural hub to rival and complement other Arab and Western capitals.

The Foundation provides training for journalists around the globe, sharing the skills and values that have made Reuters News world-renowned as a highly reliable and trusted source of news and information.

One of the main tasks of the media zone will be to provide training for young Arab media graduates and hone the skills of professionals.

"This is an unprecedented step that will see home-grown content available to the rest of the world," Khaldoun al-Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Media Zone, said at the launch of the "twofour54", attended by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan as well as editors and executives of global media companies.

"It is a major milestone in Abu Dhabi's development and an important step in the ongoing diversification of the Emirates."

Twofour54 has so far attracted global media and production companies, including CNN, BBC, the Financial Times, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Random House, Harper Collins, Rotana Studios and C Sky pictures.

The government-sponsored company, built on a 200,000-square-metre waterfront site, is due to open in 2009. It will house studios, production and training facilities and provide funding for new media businesses.

The founders said the aim of the project was also to attract Arab talent from the West by creating the right infrastructure.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, has over the past decade poured money into its fast-growing economy, launching multi-billion real estate and finance projects.

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