Saudi Arabia took part in the 27th session of the Arab Telecommunications, Information Council of Ministers, held today in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Leading the Kingdom’s delegation at the session, the President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s efforts to enhance the digital economy in 2023.
In his speech, El-Desouki noted that the Kingdom achieved a 6 percent growth in the information and communications technology sector, reaching a market value of US$43 billion last year, up from US$41 billion in 2022.
El-Desouki said that Saudi Arabia has continued to empower women and youth, boasting the largest digital talent cluster in the region with over 354,000 talented individuals, both men and women, working in the technology sector. He further noted that women’s participation in the Kingdom’s technology sector has exceeded global averages, standing at over 35 percent, surpassing Silicon Valley’s 27 percent and the European Union’s 22 percent.
The Kingdom, recognizing the significance of bridging the digital divide globally, has demonstrated international leadership by launching the Empowering Africa initiative, providing digital health and educational services to the African continent, El-Desouki added.
Furthermore, the United Nations selected Saudi Arabia as the host for the 19th edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in 2024. El-Desouki stated that this selection reaffirms the Kingdom’s advanced position in communication, information technology, and digital government.
The hosting of the IGF aligns with the Kingdom’s notable progress on relevant global indexes, ranking second globally among Group of Twenty (G20) countries in the Digital Competitiveness Report, third globally according to the GovTech Maturity Index, and fourth place globally in the Digital Regulations Readiness issued by the International Telecommunication Union.
El-Desouki highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts in developing the digital environment in the region through attracting significant investments worth US$4.4 billion in cloud computing from major international companies. Additionally, Saudi Arabia achieved the top regional rank in Venture Capital (VC) funding in 2023, with a growth of 33 percent, reaching US$1.38 billion compared to US$1.04 billion in 2022 and surpassing the $1 billion mark for the second consecutive year.
El-Desouki underscored the Kingdom’s aspiration to enhance Arab cooperation means to achieve a prosperous present and a promising future. Saudi Arabia remains committed to joint efforts in providing distinguished services and innovative digital technologies, in line with the aspirations of the leaders and peoples of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
