Globally, there is a shift in how the world operates. Nations underpinned by visions and goals, followed by robust growth roadmaps, adapting to digital transformation, and adopting new technologies at breakneck speeds. It is a clear vision of creating technology-driven change – building agility, adaptability, responsiveness, and resilience. This said, the largest country in the GCC, Saudi Arabia, with its tech-driven future vision, is well on track with its National Transformation Program (NTP) as part of Vision 2030 and has made significant progress in a very short period by developing the digital infrastructure of the country across its public services with initiatives such as the Saudi Vision 2030 Smart Cities such as NEOM, The Red Sea among others.
Saudi is indeed on track to become the leading force in digital transformation through these ambitious mega projects and rapidly developing large-scale digital ecosystems, led by future focused public and private sector organisations in the Kingdom. The country’s Digital Government Authority sets standards for digital excellence and leads in embracing new technologies that improve transparency, efficiency and public experiences. In addition, it is also inspired by a compelling vision for a thriving nation for lesser carbon footprints and resource wastage for a sustainable economy. Saudi Arabia has quickly emerged as an ambitious nation and, arguably, one of the most aspirational in the region. It is no wonder therefore, that Saudi Arabia was named the Top Digital Riser among the G20 nations in the Digital Competitiveness 2021 Report. With this ongoing unparalleled innovation, we are witnessing the country’s vision gradually come to life.
Let’s look at a few instances – the country’s goals led by its vision to transform from an ‘oil and gas powerhouse’ into becoming MENA’s financial hub is being brought to life with 155 fintech start-ups in 2020 compared to 10 in 2018, raising over $168 million in the first half of 2021 alone. Tourism is another key segment and the numerous initiatives such the Riyadh Season and the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix amongst others that have made the capital a prominent international and regional player in entertainment and tourism. These initiatives bring recognition to the kingdom worldwide as a front runner of driving innovation.
There is a very strong commitment to developing a solid technology and innovation base in the Kingdom to spur new opportunities in the Saudi economy. The kingdom constantly continues to allot major investments in advanced technologies to reduce dependency on oil, generate new economic enablers and advance citizen and visitor services in the process through digitalisation, some of which include:
- When it comes to boosting services, a key task of the country is to create rich, authenticated, seamless, personalised customer-centric digital experiences that put its people first and sit at the top of government priorities. Platforms that prevent data breaches and protect customer data provide greater privacy and more control over the information shared.
- With the federal government’s reliance on digital interactions for critical services such as healthcare, security and safety, trade, municipal, etc, the country is delivering top-class digital experiences to citizens, residents and visitors. A shift from segmented services to consolidated experiences is a huge trend and has been made possible by interlinking all necessary departments. In addition to the government leading the plan, this is now a priority for Telco, Insurance, Banking, Retail and more.
- Cloud computing is another vital area that Saudi Arabia strongly relies on and supports the country’s economic diversification goals as it leads with innovations in the Cloud. According to a recent IDC report, public cloud spending in the kingdom will surpass the $950 million mark in 2022 and grow at a CAGR of 24 percent by 2025. With Google gearing up to launch a “Cloud Region” to provide services in partnership with Saudi Aramco, driven by national efforts such as its Cloud-First Policy – announced in October 2020, a cloud-enabled evolutionary leap will transform and scale real-time relationships with stakeholders to create long-term competitive advantages.
- Open-source solutions have been center stage for some time. They are also paving the way for the kingdom’s economic development and growth, redefining its global competitiveness.. Following the launch of the open-source government software strategy in November 2021, the kingdom’s open-source government software will contribute SR5 billion ($1.3 billion) to its digital economy until 2026, as per the Digital Government Authority’s governor. Delivering cutting-edge innovations, integration & modernisation of applications are being brought to life through programmes such as Yesser – the e-Government programme and National Transformation Plan. Open source is one of the biggest channels for the future, winning against all and fueling growth for Saudi in its National agenda.
Saudi Arabia’s spending on technology is the highest in the world, with 21.7 percent of the total tech spending as per the country’s Digital Government Authority. With pioneering and modern tech architectures in the public sector and beyond, it is embracing cloud and emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, Blockchain and more in a world of mobile devices, smart tech and big data.
Therefore, Saudi Arabia’s ‘digital first’ approach is the catalyst to realising its aspiration to become a global digital leader in years to come.
