Saudi king: Islamic countries need knowledge revival

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has said that the Islamic countries need today, more than ever, a knowledge revival in light of mega challenges they face in a world where competition for knowledge is raging and becoming the cornerstone of economic success.

King Salman, who was represented by the Kingdom’s Minister of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources Khalid Al-Falih, stated this at the first Islamic Summit of Science, Technology, Innovation and Modernization in the Islamic World, held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Al-Falih said the achievement of the revival is based on four pillars, the first of which is development of education, which has to be based on encouragement of innovation and free thinking in a manner that will be a platform for the discovery of the talented and their promotion.

The second pillar, he said, is based on the encouragement of scientific and technical research and ensuring provision of finance, whether from the public or private sector.

The third pillar rests on building an integrated system where creators and their ideas are being cared for to ensure that their scientific research is transferred into practical applications with economic value, he said.

(Arab News)