Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Al-Swaha, recently held a meeting with a delegation from the Executive Board of the World Bank Group in Riyadh. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss strengthening partnership and cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the World Bank in the development of digital economy policies, digital government, innovation, and the adoption of artificial intelligence.
During the meeting, Minister Al-Swaha highlighted the progress made under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s plan for economic and social transformation. He mentioned that the World Bank’s Digital Government Index ranks the Kingdom third in the world, reflecting the achievements made in this sector.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has witnessed significant growth in the number of skilled digital workers, with an increase from 150,000 to 354,000 individuals. The participation of women in the sector has also seen a remarkable rise from 7 percent to 35 percent, surpassing the average of the G20, the EU, and Silicon Valley.
Minister Al-Swaha emphasized the Kingdom’s efforts to digitize and transform government services by moving them to the cloud. This initiative has attracted $4.4 billion in investment from major international companies, who plan to establish cloud service areas in Saudi Arabia by 2023.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has fostered a culture of innovation and supported digital entrepreneurship, making it the top destination for venture capital in the region. The country has received funding of nearly $1 billion for various digital projects.
The World Bank delegation also met with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen during their visit. They discussed joint transport development projects being implemented in Yemen and were briefed on the program’s initiatives to improve education, healthcare, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, fisheries, and the capacity building of government institutions across the country.