Saudi Arabia was the third country in the world to launch a contact-tracing application for COVID-19, thanks to the flexibility and capabilities of the Kingdom’s advanced infrastructure, in addition to the use of new technology provided by the largest mobile phone companies in the world, said Dr Abdullah Bin Sharaf Al Ghamdi, president of the Saudi Data & AI (SDAIA).
Al Ghamdi made the remarks during his speech to the national and international media on Friday at the preparatory meeting for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, to be held online on Nov. 21-22 under the slogan “Seizing the opportunities of the 21st century for all”.
He also said that digital economies have unprecedented relevance in the present situation, as the new reality imposed by the challenges that the world is going through makes it imperative for countries to enable individuals to grow and prosper. He added that technology is an essential means to achieve recovery and to complete the development process.
The SDAIA chief explained that the G20 Summit meetings led and hosted by Saudi Arabia this year are exceptional by all accounts and come in light of unprecedented circumstances in which the whole world is witnessing, for the first time probably, the dire need for unity to face the challenges that have been affecting the lives of millions of people since the beginning of this year.
The digital economy and technology play a pivotal role in shaping our present and future, and support peoples’ endeavours to continue developing a new foundation based on new data that will build our lives, work, and education.