Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Ooredoo has partnered with MobiBox to bring Blacknut Cloud Gaming to Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman through its Go Play Market platform. The partnership offers over 500 premium cloud-based games, accessible on smartphones, smart TVs, and tablets, with seamless subscription services and direct carrier billing, enhancing digital entertainment in the region.
Egypt leads TikTok usage in Africa with approximately 32.94 million users, followed by Nigeria with 27.39 million. South Africa, Algeria, and Morocco also rank among the top five, reflecting the platform’s significant popularity across the continent.
Google’s 2024 Economic Impact Report estimates $8.3 billion in Saudi Arabia’s digital economy from its products and services. With broad adoption of AI tools like Gemini and strong developer growth, Google is fueling digital skills, job creation, and economic diversification aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
Dialog Axiata PLC has reaffirmed its commitment to the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, aiming to close the gender gap in mobile technology use in Sri Lanka. This move supports enhanced access to mobile internet and financial services for women, promoting gender equality and broader socio-economic benefits.
The PTCL Group showcased two talented women entrepreneurs from the Ba-Ikhtiar program at Expand North Star. Farhat ul Ain and Marrium Hussain, former local embroidery artists, have transformed into tech-enabled entrepreneurs through the program, highlighting their inspiring journeys and the initiative’s role in empowering women in digital entrepreneurship.
Oman’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth launched ‘Shabik,’ a digital platform for online event ticketing, alongside the ‘Accelerators’ hackathon—the Gulf region’s largest. These initiatives aim to drive digital transformation, enhance service efficiency, and foster innovation in culture, sports, and youth sectors across Oman.
The GAIN Summit in Riyadh launched with a focus on artificial intelligence, showcasing significant collaborations like Nvidia with SDAIA and enhanced AI monitoring with OECD, aimed at advancing global AI ethics and technology.
The National Bank of Fujairah (NBF) has partnered with Intellect Global Transaction Banking (iGTB) to enhance its digital banking capabilities through cloud-managed services. This collaboration, featuring the eMACH.ai Digital Transaction Banking solution, marks a significant advancement in the UAE’s digital transaction banking landscape, enabling NBF to offer innovative, cloud-powered services to its clients.
ISLAMWEB enhances its platform’s speed, security, and scalability by migrating to Google Cloud with support from Advanced Business Computing. The move strengthens ISLAMWEB’s digital presence across the MENA region, positioning it for future growth.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has sold Thiqah Business Services to Elm for 3.4 billion Saudi riyals ($907 million). This sale is part of PIF’s strategy to strengthen reserves and focus on local investments in anticipation of Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation under the Vision 2030 plan.