Saudi Youth: Master’s of Technology

By: Sherief Ahmed

The youth are the driving force behind the technology demand in Muslim countries, and there isn’t a more perfect example of this than within Saudi Arabia. There has been a huge surge in information technology in the Kingdom mainly because of the younger generation’s desire for hi-tech gadgets. That being said, Saudi Arabia has the biggest IT market in the Middle East, valued at SR12.4 billion last year.

The Saudi Arabian IT market is building confidence to incite investment from the government and outside technology companies. There are a number of major IT projects in the public and private sectors being commissioned because of the huge national economic growth.

With such attention and investment in the Kingdom’s IT sector, GITEX, one of the world’s most influential information and communications technology platforms for professionals to do business across the Middle East, African, Indian and South Asian markets, will be holding a technology show in Saudi Arabia in 2011. This is organized by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in an attempt to gather many exhibitors from the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. During the same time line there will be other international telecommunications exhibit.

It’s safe to say these types of conferences are targeted to the younger generation that will be developing the future industries and innovation in Saudi Arabia. Many Saudi Arabian universities have also joined the SAP university programs, which are dedicated to generating a base of highly skilled workers to build an IT infrastructure to support an expanding economy. The Saudi government is taking proactive measures in investing in the next generation and realizing how important it is to develop projects that will use the youth’s education and desire for technology.

With a high unemployment rate in the Kingdom, the Saudi government is looking at the tech world to produce more jobs. The youth are highly educated and technologically savvy in the region so it should be a clear sign for governments to help produce projects that will continue to keep these skills in demand.