Page 48 - SAMENA Trends - August 2019

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGIONAL NEWS

Saudi ICT Plan Delivers US$13 Billion Boost for Economy

Saudi Arabia’s Information and Communications Technology enhance the role of the ICT sector in building a digital community,
(ICT) sector will increase its contribution to the national economy digital government, a thriving digital economy and an innovative
by SR50 billion ($13.3 billion) in the next five years, thanks to a future for the Kingdom.
major digital development strategy. Minister of Communications
and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Sawaha said that the
five-year strategy will expand the Kingdom’s digital capabilities in
ICT, allowing the sector to pursue optimal growth in future projects
as part of Vision 2030 economic reforms. The plan will also help
the sector keep pace with national requirements and global
developments, and attract more foreign technology investment.
Al-Sawaha said the strategy “will draw a roadmap for the future of
the Kingdom in innovation and the digital economy.” As part of the
plan the level of Saudi manpower in the sector will be raised to 50
percent by 2030. It also aims to promote and create opportunities
for women and boost foreign investment in the sector. The Saudi
minister said that the ICT strategy will strengthen development
activities, and raise the effectiveness and performance of the
public and private sectors by enabling digital transformation. “It
will make the Kingdom one of the world’s leading countries in the
field of ICT,” he said. The strategy is part of the ministry’s efforts
to establish a robust and sophisticated digital structure that will

Egypt Focuses on Digitization Services

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for Egyptian society,” El-Sisi told the databases where all information needed
that creating comprehensive databases gathering, describing the scheme as a about Egyptians is available for service
of all information about Egyptians is a “major national project.” The ambitious plan providers. El-Sisi also addressed those
matter of “national security,” underscoring starts with turning the canal governorate who are concerned about privacy, saying
the importance of the country’s digital of Port Said into a digital city where all that personal data used in the ambitious
transformation efforts. Speaking at a government services will be automated plan “is handled with extreme privacy and
youth forum in televised comments, El- by the end of the year. The government confidentiality and can never be revealed.”
Sisi said that a major project to digitalize intends to roll out the system nationwide Under the planned system, Egyptians
government services will use artificial later on. The government is launching 18 will be able to contact customer service
intelligence (AI) technology to allow new digital government services in the numbers and have services delivered to
the government to have a full picture governorate on Tuesday and is planning to their doorstep instead of having to move
of financial and health conditions of increase them to 174 services by the end between multiple government offices for
Egyptians, identify their needs and offer of this year, Communications Minister Amr several days, Talaat said. The government
proactive services before citizens request Talaat told the audience. These include is also planning to launch the “digital
or apply for them. The system will replace online services, mobile applications, signature” technology for the first time in
extensive surveys Egypt had to rely on communication services as well as special Egypt in December since a law regulating it
to offer social services, El-Sisi said. government offices. The system, which was passed in 2004, the minister said. The
Examples the president cited include using can verify the identities of citizens, is move, which involves signing contracts
death data to know when a family has aimed at combating fraudulent practices, and official documents online, is aimed
lost its breadwinner and needs financial ensuring that subsidies reach those at making communication between the
assistance, verifying those entitled to entitled to them, and guaranteeing proper government and investors easier and
subsidies and identifying healthcare needs management of government resources, finalizing business deals swiftly.
in a given region. It is a matter of “national the minister said. Egypt has so far created
security to have comprehensive databases around 60 interconnected, AI-enabled

48 AUGUST 2019