In a move aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s leadership in the region, Apple has chosen the capital city of Riyadh as the location for its Apple Developer Academy; making the Kingdom the first in the Middle East and North Africa region to establish this academy, which will be dedicated in its initial phase to female programmers and developers, in support of women’s empowerment efforts and the sweeping social reforms of Vision 2030.
This exceptional partnership with the long-established global company Apple involves the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones—represented by the Tuwaiq Academy—in collaboration with Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University.
Her Excellency Dr. Inas bint Sulaiman Al-Issa, President of Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University, expressed her great pleasure at the university’s hosting of the “Apple” Academy, which underscores the Kingdom’s preeminence and strong presence in the region.
In a statement on this occasion, Her Excellency said: “Today, in collaboration with our strategic partner, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones—represented by the Tuwaiq Academy—we are pleased to announce the launch of the first Apple Developer Academy at Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University, which is the largest women’s university in the world.”
For his part, Faisal Al-Khamisi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tuwaiq Academy, expressed his great delight at this distinguished partnership with the long-established global company “Apple,” noting that Apple’s selection of the capital, Riyadh, as the headquarters for the Apple Developer Academy is one of the fruits of the significant and unlimited support the technology sector receives from His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense—may God protect him— as part of the effort to achieve the goals of Vision 2030 and support efforts to empower women and increase female employment rates; to contribute to achieving the social and economic objectives of our ambitious vision, which we are on track to fulfill, which will make this partnership a key element in supporting these initiatives over the next ten years.
Al-Khamisi explained that the academy will work to provide the tools and training needed by aspiring female entrepreneurs, developers, and designers to establish startups and create numerous jobs in the field of iOS applications, through several key tracks, including: programming, business and marketing applications, design, and professional skills.
He noted that this exceptional partnership is further evidence of the Kingdom’s commitment to providing women in the digital sector with the comprehensive tools they need to train world-class app developers, tech leaders, and entrepreneurs, to meet the growing demand in the tech sector, in accordance with the directives of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
He added that, through our partnership with “Apple,” we will work together and strive to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that fosters skills promoting innovation and technology, and to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for our local community and communities around the world, which will undoubtedly benefit from the technical professionals educated and trained at the “Apple” Academy.
For his part, His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Engineer Abdullah Al-Swaha, thanked the “Apple” Developer Academy for choosing the Kingdom to be the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to host Apple’s global programming and development academies, emphasizing that this significant initiative is an investment in the minds and digital skills of our youth as they embark on the journey to build an innovative future for the nation and transition toward an economy based on innovation and digital transformation.
His Excellency Minister Al-Sawah also extended his thanks and appreciation to the dedicated men and women of the nation at the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, the Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Noura University for this national achievement.
For his part, His Excellency the Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad Al Sheikh, praised this unique and distinguished partnership and the selection of the capital, Riyadh, as the headquarters for the “Apple” Academy—its first branch in the Middle East and North Africa— expressing his gratitude to the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones—represented by the Tuwaiq Academy—and Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University for their efforts in finalizing this partnership, which will serve as a key pillar in training female programmers and technology developers from this country to meet the labor market’s needs in this field, through outcomes grounded in distinguished academic standards that will represent a qualitative addition to one of the most vital sectors.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region chosen by Apple to open an Apple Developer Academy, while other branches are located in the United States, Brazil, Italy, South Korea, and Indonesia. Collectively, these branches have contributed to the creation of more than 160 startups and more than 1,500 apps by their graduates worldwide.