The UAE News report: Indian IT companies can play an important role in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme (NTP) of the Kingdom.
This was observed by Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Ambassador of India in Riyadh while inaugurating India Pavilion at LEAP 2022, the first international tech event hosted by the Saudi Government at Riyadh during 1-3 February.
India Pavilion at the Show has been put together by Electronics & Computer Export Promotion Council (ESC), India’s premier agency responsible for international cooperation in the electronics and software sectors, informed by Kamal Vachani, Regional Director, ESC (Middle East)
LEAP is a new tech event developed by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security Programming and Drones.
The event brings together professionals of futuristic & disruptive technologies from around the world and has been joined by most large international tech giants including ERICSSON, HUAWEI, CISCO, SAP, MICROSOFT, IBM, HCL etc. As per last reports, more than 100,000 visitors from 129 countries had visited the Expo. More than 80 countries are exhibiting their technologies at LEAP to establish new linkages all across the globe.
The event is in line with Kingdom’s quest to transform its economy and society. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the NTP aim at a shift from a public sector-driven economy to one driven by the private sector as the main engine for economic growth. This will open floodgates of new opportunities in areas like IT, health care, renewable energy, etc.
Kingdom’s commitment to developing its digital infrastructure and overall ICT sector is clearly reflected in steps initiated in the recent past. Last year, Kingdom launched a major program that supports the country’s ICT sector including artificial intelligence-focused projects. The largest of these projects valued at $666 million, aims to boost the technology market with innovative products developed by entrepreneurs and start-ups. The other two projects aim to support AI training and capacity building. Another ambitious project aims to reduce paper consumption across the public sector of Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Sayeed urged Indian ICT companies to seize new opportunities thrown up these projects and enhance India’s participation in the Saudi economy’s transformation. Saudi market will also act as a doorway to the entire MENA region whose ICT market size is estimated to be around $17.06 billion.
Earlier, welcoming Dr. Sayeed and other invitees to the Pavilion, Sandeep Narula, Chairman, ESC, and leader of the Indian delegation informed that 85 members strong delegation was participating in the Show. Delegation members represent 30 Indian tech companies representing different verticals such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain Technologies, Robotic Process Automation, Data Analytics, Fintech, Machine Learning, Cloud Solutions, IT, Infrastructure Services, etc. He informed that Indian companies have been receiving a large number of visitors not only from Saudi Arabia but also from other participating nations including the UK, China, UAE, and Jordan. – abdulbasit@theuaenews.com
