Press Release

Press Release

SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2021 on April 8th to Bring Together Renowned Public & Private-Sector Stakeholders and Global Bodies to Voice Transformational Needs of the Digital Age

SAMENA Telecommunications, with patronage of the Telecommunications & Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) of the UAE, strategic partnership of stc Group and Zain Group, and with Huawei as the host for the eighth consecutive year, will hold one of the world's premier ICT Industry leadership congregations, the Leaders' Summit 2021, on April 8th. To be organized under the theme “Championing Digital Economic Growth from Policy to Reality", Leaders' Summit 2021 will congregate Public and Private sector Leaders with diverse industry backgrounds, and from across multiple time zones.

As an annually anticipated leadership event, Leaders' Summit encompasses ICT as well as cross-industry stakeholder participation, experience exchange, and intellectual discourse among key decision-makers and innovators. Leaders' Summit 2021 will welcome Chairmen and CEOs from the ICT Private Sector, and top decision-makers from various Regulatory Authorities, and Thought Leaders from across developed and developing economies, and Leaders who are demonstrating progressiveness in policy and regulatory reforms, digital transformation, and in driving cross-industry synergies. To this effect, the Summit will also include participation of global leaders and entities focused on institutionalizing and fostering cross-sector collaboration. This makes the Leaders' Summit 2021 the year's premier and one of the world's first major virtual destination for leadership dialogue, demonstration, and for defining future policy actions in order to thrive in the 5G business environment.

Leaders' Summit 2021 will focus on the role of broadband networks and advanced digital technologies, such as cloud communications, IoT, AI, with a particular emphasis on understanding their implementation in correlation with emerging social and business value ecosystems as well as thriving digital application ecosystems. The structure of the Leaders' Summit 2021 thus encapsulates a multi-dimensional agenda, ranging from policy statements, discussions on a complex subject matter, to live insights from renowned personalities in the world. Special focus will be casted on Intelligent Connectivity, Technology Demonstration, Global Action & Collaboration, Vertical Industry Segments, Interview Sessions with Media, Digital Application & 5G Ecosystems, Digital Sustainability, and the Internet Economy.

Inviting industry stakeholders to join the virtual discussion on April 8th, Bocar BA, CEO & Board Member, stated: "The agenda of the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2021 is most relevant to our current needs as ICT Industry and as society. Throughout the past year, our resolve and readiness to embrace accelerated change have been tested, and we may have observed certain set backs in being able to achieve our globally-defined sustainable development goals. We now need to propel digital-led economic growth to put life back on track. This necessitates that we all work together to champion the development of a sustainable Digital Economy. A key step in this regard is to start by identifying growth opportunities for enterprises and citizens alike in line with actual policy and technology requirements. SAMENA Council's highly valued collaboration with Huawei in this regard builds on our shared legacy of addressing the Industry's needs with a far-reaching objective of assisting in the development of sustainable digital economies in the South Asia - Middle East - North Africa region and, under the leadership of its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Eng. Olayan M. Alwetaid - new GCEO of stc Group, the Council looks forward to further driving collaboration within and outside of the Industry."

Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East, added: “The post-pandemic world will need an innovative approach towards economic recovery and improving quality of life; making businesses smarter and creating a more inclusive world in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The ICT sector thus serves a vital role in building a more resilient, sustainable future. Nevertheless, that opportunity hinges on our commitment to open cooperation and innovation. Now more than ever, we must all work together to forge new partnerships, and to bridge the digital divide by fostering inclusion on a national, regional, and global scale.”

ICT Industry as well as cross-industry efforts and innovation across policy, regulatory, and business fronts needs to be accelerated, to help fulfill the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while ensuring investment sustainability for the Private Sector. Following the events of 2020 and in the wake of accelerated 5G developments, there is a particular need to catalyze and sustain momentum around economic development opportunities, both in established and nascent market segments, from multiple sectors and verticals. Moreover, there is a need to leverage the role of broadband networks and advanced mobile technologies to foster sustainable growth of the newly emerging social and business value ecosystems. The Leaders' Summit 2021 is being held at a time when the intrinsic value of 5G and other allied digital technologies are being assessed against the social and business values they create, and as the private sector seeks new opportunities and incentives to invest, sustainably.

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