Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Kuwait will host a national AI Hackathon in February 2026 as part of its push to accelerate digital transformation. Announced at SAP’s Innovation Day Forum, the initiative will unite government bodies, universities, and innovators to develop AI solutions, supported by SAP’s new partnership with CAIT to upskill Kuwait’s youth.
Orange Jordan sponsored the GreenTech Makerthon 2025, enabling more than 60 youth to develop AI- and IoT-driven green solutions for climate, waste, energy and agriculture challenges. Organized with national and international partners, the program included training, mentoring and prototype development, reflecting Orange Jordan’s commitment to sustainability and innovation-driven digital transformation.
Asiacell has partnered with Google Cloud to offer Google Workspace, Gemini Enterprise, and AI-powered productivity tools to businesses and educational institutions in Iraq. The move establishes Asiacell as the country’s first telecom operator to deliver Google Cloud solutions, accelerating digital transformation and supporting more modern, collaborative, and AI-enabled workflows nationwide.
Egypt is rapidly expanding its AI ecosystem, with the sector projected to contribute 7.7% of GDP by 2030. Backed by major investments, rising cybersecurity capacity, and sustainability initiatives, the country is building a digitally skilled workforce and modern infrastructure. Experts stress urgent action to deepen AI literacy and secure inclusive, long-term growth.
Orange Egypt, in partnership with Shaghalni, has launched the country’s first AI-powered job interview system, allowing youth to complete smart virtual interviews for free through Orange branches. The initiative provides rapid skills assessment, job matching and access to leading employers, aiming to modernize recruitment and expand employment opportunities across Egypt.
GSMA Foundry and Khalifa University have partnered to advance telecom-specific AI through new assets such as TelecomGPT and an Open Telco Knowledge Graph. The collaboration addresses gaps in general LLM performance on telecom tasks and leverages the university’s 6G research capabilities to build accurate, efficient, domain-trained AI models for operators.
Katonic AI and AqlanX have launched the Gulf region’s first sovereign AI Centre of Excellence, enabling the UAE to develop and deploy AI models entirely within national infrastructure. Backed by UOWD, Lakeba and DoxAI, the initiative supports the UAE’s AI Strategy 2031 and strengthens national control over data, research, commercialisation and next-generation innovation.
Hub71 has partnered with the UAE–India CEPA Council to strengthen cross-border startup expansion and support India’s most promising founders as they scale in Abu Dhabi. Through the Start-Up Series, Immersion Programme and Access Programme, the collaboration creates structured soft-landing pathways, enabling two-way innovation exchange and advancing CEPA’s entrepreneurship and digital-economy goals.
Sri Lanka’s AI Asia Summit 2025 showcased the country’s rapid progress toward becoming South Asia’s AI innovation hub. With the launch of the Xavier robotics platform, strong government participation and industry-wide demonstrations of applied AI, the summit highlighted Sri Lanka’s readiness to move from experimentation to large-scale deployment across sectors.
Kalimna has launched its iOS and Android mobile app, enabling GCC businesses to monitor their Arabic AI phone agents on the go. The companion app syncs with the Kalimna dashboard to display real-time calls, leads and campaign activity. Designed for regional workflows, it prioritizes simplicity and strong security through encrypted API key access.