JEDDAH, 15 August 2003 — Efforts are under way to develop Riyadh as a center for information technology in the Middle East, according to Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy, a prominent businessman and chairman of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Kingdom accounts for 40 percent of information technology sales in the Gulf region. “We expect a 20 percent annual growth rate in the telecommunication, personal computers and Internet sectors,” Al-Jeraisy said.
He said the Riyadh chamber, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology and the Riyadh Development Authority were working on the project.
The Riyadh chamber will play a leading role in concluding accords with leading national and international companies to realize the project. Al-Jeraisy urged Saudi businessmen to participate in a conference of GCC industrialists, scheduled to be held in the Omani capital of Muscat on Sept. 28 and titled “The future of information industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council states.”
In addition to GCC ministers and officials, more than 400 Gulf businessmen are expected to attend the conference, which will review the situation of information technology infrastructure in the GCC states and prospects of establishing a strong industry in this vital sector. The participants will discuss nine working papers including one prepared by the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consultation titled: “Information technology industry strategy in the GCC countries.”
