Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Qatar’s MCIT has held the second Digital Skills Working Group meeting to coordinate national efforts under the Digital Agenda 2030. Government ministries reviewed progress on digital skills frameworks, youth-focused initiatives, and training programmes, while discussing ways to improve alignment across national projects. The meeting aims to build a unified, strategic digital skills ecosystem for Qatar.
BlueBird Aero Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has begun training Moroccan engineers and technicians as part of the technology transfer programme supporting the launch of a new SpyX drone production facility in Morocco. The initiative marks a significant milestone in the Kingdom’s growing defense manufacturing sector and strengthens its ambition to develop local high-tech capabilities.
Ericsson and e& have launched the second cohort of the Excelerate& programme, a year-long initiative providing Emirati professionals with advanced training in 5G, cloud, AI-driven networks, and strategic leadership. The programme blends coursework, mentorship, and global exposure to build future telecom leaders aligned with the UAE’s Centennial 2071 vision and national digital transformation goals.
Kami co-founders Hengjie Wang and Alliv Samson have been named EY Entrepreneur of the Year, after building one of the world’s largest ed-tech platforms used by 70 million students and teachers across 180 countries. While globally successful, the founders hope the win will spark improvements in New Zealand’s digital classroom infrastructure. Kami will compete at EY’s global finals in 2026.
China Mobile has landed the SEA-H2X subsea cable in Hong Kong and activated key eastern segments of the 2Africa system, strengthening connectivity across Asia, Africa, and Europe. SEA-H2X adds more than 100Tbps of China Mobile bandwidth and reinforces Hong Kong’s digital hub role, while 2Africa’s activation supports Africa’s digital economy through high-capacity, low-latency infrastructure and deeper China–Africa technology cooperation.
Egypt’s Central Bank (CBE) has launched the Haweya digital ID platform—starting with a new website and soon a mobile app—to accelerate financial inclusion and simplify access to public and private services nationwide. The initiative introduces a unified biometric digital identity that will allow Egyptians to verify their identity, open bank accounts, and complete eKYC processes entirely online.
Egypt’s Aydi has secured $7.5 million in pre-seed funding to launch ORTH, the world’s first AI agricultural engineer. Supported by investors such as Daltex, the platform uses machine learning to guide farmers on irrigation, fertilisation, and pest control. ORTH aims to boost global food production, improve sustainability, and redefine the future of smart, tech-enabled agriculture.
Egypt’s ITIDA has signed 55 new agreements with global industry leaders to expand the country’s offshoring and digital services sector. Supported by strong infrastructure, competitive costs, and a large skilled workforce, the deals are expected to create more than 70,000 jobs in three years and reinforce Egypt’s position as a trusted global hub for high-value digital services.
Bangladesh’s telecom regulator, BTRC, will host a public hearing on November 25 to collect consumer and stakeholder feedback on telecom service quality and regulatory performance. Participants must register by November 19. Common issues include call drops, slow mobile data, poor broadband, and registration problems. The hearing aims to shape future regulatory actions and improve operator accountability.
UNESCO has released its AI Readiness Assessment Report for Bahrain, recognising the Kingdom’s strong digital governance, ethical AI initiatives, and inclusive transformation efforts. The report highlights Bahrain’s progress in national AI policy, innovation programmes, and institutional capacity, while offering recommendations to further strengthen ethical, people-centred AI adoption in line with Bahrain Vision 2030.