Saudi Arabia, UK discuss enhancing digital economy cooperation
Kingdom’s top officials hold meetings with British counterparts to devise strategy
Digital economy ties between Saudi Arabia and the UK are poised to advance following the visit of an official Saudi delegation to London.
The governor of the Digital Government Authority, Ahmed Al-Suwaiyan, engaged with leaders and officials from the UK’s public and private sectors, focusing on strengthening cooperation between nations in the digital economy and learning from shared global experiences. During the visit, Al-Suwaiyan, also chairman of the executive committee of the Digital Cooperation Organization, took part in the Annual 21st Middle East and North Africa Conference. He delivered a keynote speech showcasing Saudi Arabia’s leading model in digital transformation, highlighting the country’s best practices and success stories in the digital government division, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Al-Suwaiyan also met with key figures, including Alex Burghart, the parliamentary secretary for the British Cabinet Office; Julia
Lopez, minister for data and digital infrastructure and Saqib Bhatti, minister for technology and the digital economy.
The meetings, attended by officials from governmental bodies and CEOs of major companies, focused on expanding the strategic partnership between the two countries in digital government.
Furthermore, the Saudi ambassador to the UK, Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan, hosted Al-Suwaiyan and the accompanying delegation at the embassy. During the meeting, they reviewed DGA’s efforts in developing digital government services and discussed opportunities for enhancing cooperation. Additionally, the governor met with Amal bint Jameel Fatani, a Saudi cultural attache to the UK, the SPA added.
He also convened with a selected cohort of Saudi scholarship students at the Saudi Cultural Mission in London. During this interaction, he delved into key initiatives in digital transformation and outlined strategic directions for digital government.
Moreover, the DGA governor engaged with the students to understand their perspectives, addressing the specific challenges they encounter in navigating digital government services. This initiative aimed to enhance their digital experience, providing services aligned with their aspirations and ensuring
their satisfaction.
The visit exemplifies the DGA’s commitment to fostering partnerships and strengthening its global presence. It underscores the organization’s proactive role in spearheading international initiatives aimed at achieving a sustainable digital economy. These efforts closely align with the objectives outlined in Saudi Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia has been actively pursuing innovative initiatives to modernize its infrastructure and enhance its technological capabilities.
The Kingdom inaugurated the Industrial Artificial Intelligence Academy in February, in partnership with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and US-based tech firm NVIDIA.
The academy highlights the significance of cultivating skilled national talents to compete on a global scale.
Its objective is to equip a generation proficient in utilizing industrial AI to revolutionize intelligent environments and processes, while also promoting partnerships with top technical organizations to pioneer cuttingedge technologies.