Saudi cybersecurity thrives on a gender-balanced workforce
Empowerment of Saudi Arabian women is at the heart of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform agenda
As part of its digitization strategy, Saudi regulators have encouraged companies to bolster cybersecurity
Updated 08 March 2022
DEEMA AL-KHUDAIR
JEDDAH: Like many sectors of the Saudi economy, cybersecurity had long been a male-dominated profession. But in just the last five years of social liberalization in Saudi Arabia, women have made remarkable strides in the industry.
Among them is Nujud Al-Abdali, a cybersecurity analyst for the Saudi Press Agency. “I see more women in the field now,” she told Arab News. “They are hardworking and reliable, and they strive to be better wherever they are, and at whatever they do.”
Recalling her own journey into the field, Al-Abdali said she faced a steep learning curve, but overcame it through hard work. “It’s a rewarding field,” she said. “It requires discipline and consistency and an open mind that accepts different views on how to solve a problem.
“It also involves writing, which is something I love, and is based on constant reading, researching, and learning in general. It is hard to be successful in this field if you’re complacent, so there is always a motivation to do better.”
Suha Maghrabi entered the cybersecurity field in 2019, initially taking on various roles in the financial industry with a focus on regulation. The following year, she took on a managerial post at an insurance company with a focus on digitization.
Suha Maghrabi (Supplied)
“During the past five years, we have noticed that interest has increased in the cybersecurity field within the Kingdom to align with Vision 2030, which includes the digitalization of services and the commitment to provide world class government services,” Maghrabi told Arab News.
“The rapid increase in cyber-attacks and threats and growing adoption of cloud computing, the ‘internet of things’ across various industries, has increased the need to protect the Kingdom’s vital interests, its national security, its critical infrastructure, services and activities.”
Maghrabi says her interest in information technology began at an early age. “I always enjoyed learning and working on new applications,” she said. “Once I graduated from university, I got an opportunity in IT security, which was the gateway that made me enter this field.
“I can say that I didn’t choose information security, but rather that information security chose me. And from that day onwards my eagerness to learn more about this field has increased and will keep increasing.”
Saudi regulatory bodies, such as the Saudi Central Bank and the National Cybersecurity Authority, have encouraged all companies to bolster their cybersecurity to ensure the protection of their assets, data, and network against potential threats.
“According to the Saudi Federation of Programming and Drones, Saudi women make up 45 percent of the workforce in the cybersecurity sector,” Maghrabi said.
“Considering that the empowerment of Saudi Arabian women is at the heart of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and along with the recent growth in cybersecurity, a lot of opportunities were introduced in the market and promoted building a world-class workforce especially for Saudi women and enabling them in all sectors.”
KSrelief delivers winter aid and dates to Yemen’s vulnerable
Updated 08 November 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has delivered dates and winter shelter to vulnerable people in Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported late Thursday.
KSrelief’s volunteers distributed 100 winter bags in Thamud district, Hadhramaut governorate, for 600 individuals from 100 vulnerable families.
These packages form part of the emergency shelter project in Yemen. (SPA)
The aid is a part of the agency’s emergency shelter project in the country.
Meanwhile, 2,459 cartons of dates were delivered in Al-Wadi district, Marib governorate, for the benefit of 14,754 people.
KSrelief continues international relief efforts in Chad, Pakistan
Updated 08 November 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has delivered aid to people most in need in Chad and Pakistan, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Some 201 food parcels, benefiting 1,206 people, were distributed in the village of Sharkaya, in Hajar Lamis province, as part of the 2024 Food Security Support Project in the Republic of Chad.
Aid has also been given to 10,500 vulnerable people in flood-affected areas of Pakistan as part of the fourth phase of KSrelief’s initiative to provide shelter materials and winter bags to the country.
Saudi agency KSrelief delivers food, hygiene kits in Syria
The aid is a part of KSrelief’s projects to support earthquake-affected people in northern Syria
Updated 08 November 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has distributed food and hygiene kits to thousands of vulnerable people across Syria, the Saudi Press Agency reported late Thursday.
The agency’s volunteers delivered 750 food parcels and 750 hygiene kits in Al-Hasakah, Syria, benefiting 4,500 people.
The aid is a part of KSrelief’s projects to support earthquake-affected people in northern Syria. (SPA)
Meanwhile 745 Syrian families, comprising 2,652 people, in Al-Dana, Idlib governorate, received food and hygiene kits.
The aid is a part of KSrelief’s projects to support earthquake-affected people in northern Syria.
How Google aims to bridge the AI skills gap in Saudi Arabia and the wider region
Backed by local partners, Google will boost AI upskilling for women, youth, migrants, and rural communities
The AI Opportunity Initiative aims to equip half a million people across the MENA region with AI skills
Updated 08 November 2024
Lama Alhamawi
DUBAI: As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes industries, job roles and skill requirements, the Middle East and North Africa region is actively embracing advanced technologies and collaborating with tech giants to bridge the skills gap in an evolving labor market.
One such collaboration is with Google’s newly launched AI Opportunity Initiative, which offers training and education opportunities to make AI technologies more accessible and inclusive across the region.
By collaborating with local organizations, the AI Opportunity Initiative seeks to “train half a million people in the next two years,” Anthony Nakache, managing director of Google MENA, told an audience at the recent AI Connect MENA event at Dubai’s Etihad Museum.
To achieve this, Google “will give a grant of $15 million to fund local organizations,” Nakache said.
Najeeb Jarrar, regional director of marketing at Google MENA, told Arab News: “We are very excited about this AI Opportunity Initiative, especially since we are seeing the Saudi community is fully embracing AI both on the consumer side and on the developer and resource side.
“This is an initiative that we have launched globally and we now are bringing to the region. One of the aims of this initiative is how we are leveling the playing field for AI and AI education and skilling across the entire region,” he added, noting that students will learn to use AI more productively, including skills such as prompt engineering.
To bridge the digital divide in the labor market, Google’s AI Opportunity Initiative aims to upskill underserved workers in AI by offering tailored training materials in Arabic, in partnership with the non-profit Manarat, online course provider Coursera, and other organizations.
Google’s largest AI project in the region, the AI Opportunity Initiative will focus on four key areas: AI skills development, research, products, and infrastructure.
DID YOUKNOW?
• The new AI Opportunity Initiative is Google’s largest AI project in the region.
• It aims to equip 500,000 people in the MENA region with AI skills within two years.
• Google is granting $15 million to local organizations between 2024 and 2027.
• The Saudi government is reportedly creating a $40 billion fund to invest in AI.
“We also worked with local NGOs and local players in the market to ensure that we are also reaching out to different partners,” Jarrar said.
Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, has announced plans to contribute $15 million between this year and the end of 2027, providing funding to organizations across the region to ensure accessibility to AI opportunities.
The AI Opportunity Initiative also aims to equip 500,000 people in the MENA region with AI skills in the first two years. This includes students, academics, developers, entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups.
Speaking about the issue of accessibility, Jarrar said: “We wanted to ensure first that this local initiative does not feel like an initiative that is hard to get for the average user.”
Google’s largest AI project in the region, the AI Opportunity Initiative will focus on AI skills development, research, products, and infrastructure. (Supplied)
He pointed out that both language and local partners, such as Injaz and Raspberry Pi Foundation, play a major role in improving accessibility.
“The content is all in Arabic, we have local examples that we are actually able to showcase,” he said. “We are partnering with local partners that know the market and the community very well and are able to reach more people that are beyond what we can initially reach to.”
The AI Opportunity Initiative enables Google to expand the Maharat min Google program, which targets high school and university students, by introducing a new AI curriculum in Arabic.
As part of its mission to support underserved communities, Google.org is funding Village Capital, a non-profit that supports entrepreneurs tackling environmental, social and economic challenges.
Village Capital will equip business support organizations to offer AI upskilling opportunities to underserved workers.
The program targets women, youth, migrants and rural communities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Bahrain and Iraq.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation will use grant funding from Google.org to train teachers in AI literacy, equipping students aged 11-14 in the region with AI safety skills to better understand and navigate the challenges of AI technologies.
Opinion
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Speaking at the Google AI Connect Event, Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer for Alphabet and Google, said: “AI is estimated to contribute $320 billion in economic growth for the Middle East by 2030.
“Google is working to ensure that people and communities throughout the region have the skills needed to capture the upside of this emerging technology.”
She added: “Our local non-profit and university partners will help bring this program to people and communities throughout the region, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities that AI can deliver.”
Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer for Alphabet and Google, speaking at the Google AI Connect event. (Photo courtesy of Google)
Since 2005, Google has invested more than $400 million in academic research globally.
The tech giant also announced during its Dubai event the launch of new Arabic AI products, including Gemini Live in Arabic, Gemini for Teens, Imagen3, and Gems on Gemini in Arabic.
“For the previous year, we have worked hard with partners, with experts globally and from the region, to understand what are the constraints that we need to implement to make this product safer for teens, teens aged 13 to 18,” Jarrar said.
“We worked tirelessly to make sure we have the right guardrails to ensure that we had the right controls and the proper Q and A and testing, and today we are happy to say that Gemini for Teens is available for users and teens here in the region.”
These efforts are expected to support Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become an AI leader, ensuring its population stays aligned with the latest developments in the labor market.
A September report by the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence showed that 75 percent of the Saudi population is familiar with the concept of AI, and 64 percent are aware of its applications.
Saudi Arabia’s recreational spaces ready for holiday season
Updated 08 November 2024
SPA
AL-BAHA: Saudi authorities have announced extensive preparations of public recreational facilities ahead of the school holiday season.
The Al-Baha municipality has readied 142 parks and recreational areas, along with municipal squares, public spaces and streets, to welcome visitors and tourists.
According to regional secretary, Ali bin Mohammed Al-Sawat, these facilities span more than 4,188,559.98 million square meters and feature amenities including children’s playgrounds, green spaces, shade structures, lighting, sidewalks, seating areas and parking, and facilities for activities such as walking and cycling.
The Al-Barouqi Tourist Farm in Al-Baha region features agricultural terraces, famous trees and old wells. (SPA)
Meanwhile, the Eastern Region Municipality has completed the preparation of 979 parks and public squares, 18 public recreational parks, 14 waterfront areas and 213 walking tracks.
The facilities are timely as moderate weather conditions and school breaks attract more outdoor activity.
The municipality emphasized its commitment to regular maintenance of these facilities, considering them vital breathing spaces for citizens and residents.
Al-Nakheel Park Tabuk region's Haql governorate is more than just a recreational destination. It is a place where residents and visitors can uncover stories of the past, shared by their ancestors. (SPA)
