| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Profession(s) | Politician, Military Personnel |
| Famous for | • Being the Minister of Interior of the United Arab Emirates • Being the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5' 10" (178 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Politics | |
| Political Journey | • Served as the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Interior (25 December 1997 - 2 November 2004) • Became Minister of the Interior of the United Arab Emirates (2 November 2004) • Became Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (10 May 2009) |
| Military Service | |
| Service/Arm | UAE Army |
| Service Years | 1991-2016 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Police Service | |
| Emirate | Abu Dhabi |
| Major Designation | • Served as the Second-in-Command Director of the police headquarters (1994-1995) • Appointed as the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Police (23 October 1995) • Served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Abu Dhabi Police (1995-2016) |
| Awards, Honours | • Order of Merit for Dedicated Service (2000) • The Red Crescent Charitable Medal • The Order of Merit of the International Civil Defense Organization (Commander Rank) • Honourary degree of doctor in social sciences from the University of Wolverhampton (15 February 2010) • Family Cohesion and Social Security Personality of the Year (2013)  |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | Source 1- Year, 1968 Source 2- Year, 1969 |
| Age (as of 2025) | Source 1- 57 Years Source 2- 56 Years |
| Birthplace | Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| Hometown | Abu Dhabi |
| College/University | United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain |
| Educational Qualification | A bachelor's degree in Political Science |
| Religion | Islam |
| Hobby | Reading about technology |
| Social Media | • Instagram • YouTube |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Sheikha Asma bint Hamad Al Khaili (daughter of Major-General Hamad bin Suhail Al Khaili) |
| Children | Son(s)- 4 • Zayed bin Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan • Khalifa bin Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan • Ahmed bin Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan • Mohammed bin Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 2 December 2020) Daughter- 1 • Mouza bint Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Parents | Father- Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (6 May 1918 - 2 November 2004) (politician, philanthropist, founder and ruler of the UAE) Mother- Sheikha Mouza bint Suhail Al Khaili Step Mother(s)- 6 • Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan (17 June 1922 - 28 January 2018) • Aisha bint Ali Al Dhaheri • Amna bint Saleh Al Darmaki • Sheikha bint Madhad Al Mashghouni • Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi  |
| Siblings | Brother(s)- 5 • Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1969 - 26 March 2010) (businessman, former managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority) • Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (businessman, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority) • Sheikh Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan (second deputy president of Baniyas Sports Club) • Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan • Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan  Sister(s)- 1 • Afra bint Zayed Al Nahyan Half-brother(s)- 14 • Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (7 September 1948 - 13 May 2022) (second President of the UAE, former ruler of Abu Dhabi)  • Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1 December 1955 - 18 November 2019) (former Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE)  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (president of UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, deputy supreme commander of UAE Armed Forces)  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (politician)  • Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi)  • Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan (deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi)  • Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (vice president of the UAE)  • Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (politician)  • Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (real estate developer)  • Sheikh Nasser bin Zayed Al Nahyan (died on 2 June 2008) (former chairman of the Abu Dhabi planning and economy department)  • Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1965 - 27 July 2023) (politician)  • Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (chairman of the Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council)  • Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan  • Dhiyab bin Zayed Al Nahyan (chairman of Al Wahda Football Club, former chairman of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority)  Half-sister(s)- 9 • Shamma bint Zayed Al Nahyan  • Al Yazia bint Zayed Al Nahyan • Rawda bint Zayed Al Nahyan  • Salama bint Zayed Al Nahyan • Latifa bint Zayed Al Nahyan • Mouza bint Zayed Al Nahyan • Wadeema bint Zayed Al Nahyan • Sheikha bint Zayed Al Nahyan • Maitha bint Zayed Al Nahyan |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan
- Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan was born into a deeply religious Muslim family in the United Arab Emirates.
- In his childhood, he aspired to become an army officer.
- After completing his formal education, he joined the Zayed II Military College (Zayed the Second Military College) in Al Ain.
- There, he opted to join the parachute regiment, and in 1991, he underwent a basic paratrooper training module.
- Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan was later chosen to undergo further training at the United States Army Airborne School, where he underwent a Basic Airborne Course (BAC).
- In 1991, he was chosen to attend an Investigation Course in the United Kingdom.
- In 2002, he played a vital role in establishing numerous centres for rehabilitating persons with special needs, under the Ministry of Interior.
- On 30 December 2004, Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan was promoted and made a Lieutenant General in the army.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan in his military uniform
- He founded numerous social support centres in the same year.
- Later, in the same year, Saif was appointed to the committee which oversaw the formulation of a five-year plan for the strategic development of the Abu Dhabi Police.
- After a few years, he sidestepped to law enforcement and was given charge of homeland security, where he assisted the police force and intelligence agencies in making policies to uphold law and enforcement.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan with an Abu Dhabi police officer
- He later made policies related to naturalisation-related affairs, and foreigners’ entry and residence, as well as supervising civil defence tasks and traffic issues.
- In 2009, he was appointed to the Federal Demographic Structure Council as its head. In the same year, he was appointed to the Emirates Identity Authority as its vice chairman.
- Owing to his ability to handle law enforcement, he was later appointed as the Dubai Police’s director general.
- He then worked with many international police forces to derive policies to not only improve interoperability among the police forces but also the functioning of the Dubai Police in maintaining law and order.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a meeting with the Canadian Police personnel
- He also oversaw the creation of several important initiatives, including the Community Police, Social Support Centres, Centres for Rehabilitation and Employment for People with Special Needs, and the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre. He also managed projects aimed at standardising traffic databases across the UAE.
A photo of Saif bin Zayed taken while he was hosting a meeting as the Minister of Interior of the UAE
- He has played an important role in banning children from being employed as child jockeys in camel races in Abu Dhabi. For this, he instructed the organisers to register beforehand, along with the name and information about those who would be partaking in the races. A special police unit was also established to maintain vigilance.
- In 2019, Saif launched a project to establish the Emirates Identity Authority (EAI), under which he implemented the iris scan project, under which he succeeded in preventing more than 1,14,000 persons with a criminal history from coming to the UAE from their respective nations.
- Indicating a religious shift, he is considered to be the brain behind the establishment of a multi-faith praying room at the Abu Dhabi International Airport to allow travellers to offer prayers while in transit.
- Thereafter, Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan took over the post of Vice President of the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA).
- The Ministry of Interior of the UAE later appointed him to head a committee aimed at digitising the government services for the ease of access for citizens to avail of services.
- He later established the Higher Committee for Child Protection (HACCP) under the ministry. He then conducted numerous workshops with schools and colleges in Abu Dhabi to promote child safety and established the Child Protection Centre (CPC).
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan posing for a photo with children and mothers during an event organised by the HACCP
- In 2020, he proposed a policy which focused on providing rehabilitation to the youth rather than punishing them for their involvement in crime. This policy was later implemented in other emirates in the UAE.
- To tackle religious extremism, Saif played a vital role in establishing police squads aimed at taking action on hate speech and religious discrimination.
- He proposed the implementation of a bill 2023, which aimed at allocating monetary resources for maintaining and upgrading Hindu temples located in Abu Dhabi. He has also raised his voice in promoting religious harmony in the UAE.
- In 2022, he launched a website named Zayed The Inspirer, where he uploads stories of motivation from the UAE and the world. He also conducts talk shows and uploads the videos on his website.
Logo of Zayed The Inspirer
- In October 2023, the Emirati government signed a deal with Sam Altman’s OpenAI to use AI services in improving governance and introducing smart policing.
- Saif later led a committee which oversaw the amendment of the Cybersecurity Law under which heavy penalties were imposed for unethical hacking, defamation, and identity theft.
- Saif is also a qualified special forces operative. Before his political career, he served in the Special Security Forces as its commander. He has also worked on increasing cooperation between the UAE law enforcement agencies and the military for enhancing internal and external safety and security.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during a meeting with military and law enforcement personnel
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