Huawei has announced the Huawei Arab Innovation Day 2021 will be held on October 19 at Al Multaqa Ballroom, Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE. Taking place on the sidelines of GITEX Global, the annual event will gather the region’s government leaders, academia, industry analysts and regulators, as well as Huawei’s senior leadership team.
This year’s conference will be held under the theme of “Collaboration to Drive Innovations in the Arab World”. The opening keynote speech will be delivered by Catherine Chen, Senior VP, Director of the Board & President of Public Affairs & Communications Dept, Huawei. This will follow with addresses by ministerial and senior leaders from the Arab governments, regional and international industry organizations and high-level ICT stakeholders from different verticals and industries.
Huawei Arab Innovation Day 2021 will aim to draw the roadmap for the adoption of emerging technologies in the Arab world, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity and discuss the advantages of integrating technologies like 5G, Cloud and AI in the development of verticals, key industries, business and services. The event will also reiterate the vital role that ICT technologies play in driving the socio-economic growth of the region, especially in supporting the Arab states’ ambitious national plans and visions that place ICT development at its core.
Commenting on the importance of Huawei Arab Innovation Day, Steven Yi, President for the Middle East at Huawei, said: “For over two decades, Huawei has collaborated with leading public and private entities across the Arab world to support their digitalization journeys. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, digitalization has further accelerated across the globe, enabling economies to recover and grow during a challenging period. At this year’s edition of the Huawei Arab Innovation Day, we are proud to bring together leading voices from the region and the world to provide in-depth insights on the role ICT will continue to play in the digital transformation of the Arab world countries over the coming years.”
The conference comes at a time when both the public and private sectors are making critical investments in ICT infrastructure. According to Gartner, IT spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is poised to reach a total $171 billion this year, increasing 4.5% from 2020. Digital innovation is now at the forefront of many national development plans in the Middle East and is seen as a crucial ingredient to diversifying local economies, creating future jobs, while accelerating sustainable development.
Key themes to explore at the Huawei Arab Innovation Day this year include how ICT innovation is driving digital transformation in the Arab world, the keys to building talent ecosystems to create future ICT leaders, improve education and strategies for strengthening the development path of all key sectors and industries, together with building the security roadmap and standards for the region’s digital economy. During the conference, the session on Digital Transformation will discuss some of the regional ICT industry’s most pressing issues including the gaps and obstacles in the digital transformation journey that Middle East’s ICT ecosystem stakeholders need to overcome to ready themselves for the post-pandemic world.
Its Cybersecurity-focused panel discussion will explore the need of building a secure and resilient digital economy, highlighting the importance of open collaboration for shared success in cybersecurity, public-private partnerships. This session will also spotlight the need for developing a security baseline for managing cybersecurity requirements arising from the digital transformation journeys undertaken by the Arab nation states. In addition, a panel of regional education experts will gather to address ICT innovation needed to address the gaps and challenges faced by the education sector in the Arab world and the priorities for collaborating on nurturing local ICT talents. The panelists will also discuss the role of R&D-based education in developing an advanced education model for students and bridging the ICT talent benefits to address the achievements of national plans and visions.
Huawei prides itself on its ability to leverage cutting-edge capabilities, expertise, and technology to support developers. The tech giant provides workshops, training, and certifications to the developer, student, and startup communities. In its annual global competition, the Huawei HMS App Innovation Contest (Apps UP), developers are offered US$1 million in cash prizes – with various categories of choice to enter, such as the Best Social Impact App and Excellent Student Award. These initiatives by Huawei have successfully demonstrated the potential of tech to positively impact communities and the need to empower developers, students, and startups alike. This falls in line with Huawei’s commitment to bringing digital to every person and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.
Huawei is participating at GITEX Global under the theme of “Dive into Digital” and is presenting a comprehensive series of summits, exhibitions, and partnerships at the event. A Platinum Partner to this year’s GITEX, Huawei is demonstrating the growing value of digitalization to national economies, and how cutting-edge technologies are likely to be applied across vertical industries in the year ahead. Located in Za’abeel Hall 1, Huawei’s GITEX stand exhibition is proudly supported by Mindware, Redington Gulf, Gulf Applications (GAPP), and Enterprise Systems. More information on Huawei’s GITEX participation can be found here.
