Saudi Arabia’s National Digitization Unit (NDU) has signed an agreement with technology major GE to drive digital industrial diversification and the application of innovative business models, supporting Saudi youth in becoming key partners in progressing the digital transformation of the kingdom.

The agreement will see GE train Saudi youth on ideas and concepts relating to the ‘Future of Work,’ empowering them with the advanced skills needed in digital and software development.

Both NDU and GE will work towards supporting the diversification and digitisation of emerging industries, remarked Deemah Alyahya, the acting chief executive of the NDU, after signing the deal with Hisham Al Bahkali, the president and chief executive of GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, on the sidelines of the Misk Global Forum, one of the biggest youth events in the region, held recently in Riyadh.
 
"This will be accomplished through collaborating with customers in critical industries such as healthcare, water and mining to conduct assessments, define areas for improvement, and identify digital solutions to move transformation forward" she stated.

Alyahya pointed out that digital transformation was a key driver of Saudi Vision 2030, covering all sectors and leveraging the power of big data and advanced analytics to achieve increased efficiency and productivity.

"Tech-savvy Saudi youth play a defining role in achieving this vision. At the NDU, we focus on promoting our national talent and helping build innovative digital business models that will establish Saudi Arabia as a pioneering digital nation," she noted.
 
According to her, the partners will leverage GE’s digital applications such as asset performance management (APM) which tracks and optimises assets, and ServiceMax which allows field service engineers’ time to be utilised more efficiently.

The partnership will focus on community-based digital solutions in sectors that have been identified for transformation under Saudi Vision 2030, she added.
 
Al Bahkali said the national digital vision of Saudi Arabia was a pioneering step in accelerating the kingdom’s transformation into a digital economy.

"As an industrial technology company that now draws on digitization to support our partners in the kingdom, we see this MoU as a strong platform to share our learnings and resources, especially with the Saudi youth," noted the official.

"With a focus on digital industrial diversification, innovation, and talent development, we will work with NDU to create a thriving digital ecosystem in the kingdom that creates high quality jobs for youth, and supports the development of a high-value supply chain led by young Saudi entrepreneurs," he added.-TradeArabia News Service