JEDDAH, 2 April — Keynote addresses by Jordanian Planning Minister Dr. Bassem Awadallah and Professor Saleh Al-Athel, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, were the highlights of the opening day of the two-day 2002 Saudi Technology Forum here yesterday. The day-long deliberations included a wide range of subjects on the forum theme: “Realities in a virtual world: the future for business in a digital economy.”
The forum, which is part of the Saudi Technology Week, also marks the Comdex 2002 exhibition at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s International Exhibition and Convention Center.
Professionals and IT buffs thronged the exhibition floor yesterday. Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed formally opened it on Sunday night.
The week also includes a four-day Comdex Shopper for Home Computing and Entertainment show at the Al-Hamrah Commercial Center on Jeddah Corniche, and a three-day biotechnology conference organized by the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center from Saturday.
In his welcome address to the forum, JCCI Chairman Abdullah Zainal Alireza said that the evolution of technology and human ingenuity were the cornerstones of the present age.
“Technology is not the preserve of a few but has crossed international boundaries for the common good of all. Likewise, the Internet is not the privilege of the few and is revolutionizing communication the world over. So the need of the hour is promoting understanding. We all must understand each other, appreciate each other’s social and cultural backgrounds,” Alireza said.
Amr A. Dabbagh, chairman of the Jeddah Marketing Board, said the forum was a new event aimed at providing a platform for the development of a long-term agenda for the application and impact of new technologies throughout the region.
“The forum’s theme is designed to look at trends in technology development: what’s happening, what might occur, what should take place as technology accelerates both the way we communicate and compete,” he added.
