In the largest technology launch of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region, the Kingdom today announced a package of groundbreaking initiatives and technology programs with a total value of nearly 4 billion riyals, in collaboration with 10 of the world’s leading technology giants, to strengthen digital capabilities, achieve the goal of having one programmer for every 100 Saudis by 2030, and encourage innovation, creativity, and global leadership; This initiative reflects the directives of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz—may God protect him—and is aimed at achieving the Kingdom’s Vision goals of capitalizing on opportunities in the digital economy.
These major initiatives, which garnered significant attention when announced at the “Launch” event held in the capital, Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional technology hub for leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and programmers from the region and around the world, They also mark the culmination of the distinguished partnership between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones.
During the “Launch” event, a number of the world’s leading technology companies—including Google, Amazon, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, Trend Micro, and Avensaf Security), their collaboration with the Kingdom to “launch training programs“ and centers dedicated to enhancing the digital capabilities of young Saudi talent, as well as other centers for innovation in tech entrepreneurship.
The organizers of the Launch event unveiled three major initiatives (Tawig, Hima, Qumma), which collectively aim to enhance the digital capabilities of young men and women in the fields of programming, strengthen trust between tech companies and funding entities, and encourage innovation and creativity through communities and centralized platforms.
The “Tuwaiq Initiatives” will focus on achieving the primary goal set by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones since its founding in 2017, namely, to have one programmer for every 100 Saudis by 2030, given its key role in building, developing, and empowering the capabilities of the nation’s youth.
As for “Himma Initiatives,” they will focus on achieving global leadership for the Kingdom in the technology industry through the launch of the National Program for the Development of the Information Technology Sector, with an estimated budget of 2.5 billion riyals, which includes several products, foremost among them the “Financial Guarantee Product” in strategic partnership with the “Kafala” program for financing small and medium-sized enterprises. This product provides guarantees to small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the technology sector, with a maximum guarantee of 90% of the financing value, up to 15 million riyals, to help these companies implement their projects and fund their expansion plans.
As for ”Summit Initiatives,” their primary focus will be on encouraging innovation and creativity through communities and centralized platforms that support technical and digital aspects.
Among the key announcements at the Launch event was the unveiling of the Saudi-Chinese eWTP Arabia Capital Fund, which aims to support tech startups in the Kingdom with an estimated capital of 1.5 billion riyals, through a partnership between the Chinese eWTP—backed by Alibaba—and the Public Investment Fund, with support from the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, with the goal of contributing to a robust economic ecosystem for digital businesses in the Kingdom.
Alibaba Cloud, the backbone of digital technology within the Alibaba Group, aims to collaborate with local partners in the region over the next five years at academies, training centers, and innovation hubs across the Kingdom to build and develop technical capabilities in support of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, together with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, launched two major technology initiatives: the “Tuwaiq 1000 Camp” initiative, which culminates in employment, and the “Skills of the Future,” both of which will be held across the Kingdom’s 13 regions through 40 training camps covering four tracks: cybersecurity, programming, artificial intelligence and data science, and the video game industry.
During the Launch event, the Kingdom announced that it will organize and host the global “Leap” conference next year, which is the world’s largest technology event and the first of its kind in the region, It was also announced that the Kingdom will host the RiseUp Riyadh Summit, the largest event of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa for entrepreneurs and startups, Details were also announced regarding the @Hack global conference—the largest in the field of cybersecurity—as part of the Riyadh Season events, in partnership between the General Entertainment Authority, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, along with Informatech and Black Hat to address cyber threats worldwide, by hosting Offensive Security experts for information security training and hosting the largest challenge of its kind in the MENA region.
Among the announcements made at the Launch event was the launch of the «Sadaia Academy» to contribute to capacity building and empowerment in the fields of artificial intelligence and data science, the launch of the “Satar” programming platform with more than 1,300 instructional videos, and the “Kodrahab,” the first Arabic platform specializing in coding challenges with over 400 challenges, and the launch of a dedicated drone platform to serve drone users within the Kingdom and the business sector, as well as the launch of the DJI Academy—the first certified drone training center serving trainees in the Kingdom and the Middle East—in partnership with the global DJI Academy and stc. Furthermore, a partnership was announced with OneMT, a leading company in the video game industry, which will open a studio in Riyadh, and Trend Micro announced the establishment of its regional headquarters in Riyadh, and the start of registration for the first-of-its-kind Apple Developer Academy in the Middle East and North Africa—dedicated in its initial phase to female programmers and developers—at its headquarters at Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, The “Erbak” media project was also announced in collaboration with the MBC Group and “Thamania” for Publishing and Distribution, under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, with the aim of providing content focused on entrepreneurship in the Arab world.
The stc Group expressed its delight at participating in the region’s largest technology launch, as it serves as the digital partner and enabler for all initiatives of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones; in pursuit of ambitious visions for technology localization and support for innovation.