ALKHOBAR, 7 November 2006 — Tomorrow, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates comes to share his thoughts with government and business leaders in Saudi Arabia. It is the Microsoft chairman’s first visit to the Kingdom, although not his first trip to the Middle East. In past years, he has participated in various summits in Egypt, Israel and Jordan. Gates arrives in Saudi Arabia after delivering the keynote speech at the first European Microsoft Dynamics Convergence Conference in Munich, Germany. In that presentation, Gates discussed how companies can boost their productivity by bridging “the last mile” between personal productivity software and their back-end business systems.
Giving details about Gates’ schedule during his day in Riyadh, Dr. Khaled Al-Daher, general manager, Microsoft Arabia, stated that the agenda of Microsoft chairman will be packed with activities. He will meet with some of the top business executives within the framework of the Global Competitiveness Forum which is being held under the sponsorship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in cooperation with Microsoft and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). At the forum, Gates will deliver the keynote address titled, “The role and impact of ICT in enabling the competitiveness of the economy and related challenges for Saudi Arabia.” During this speech, Gates will highlight the strategic role played by ICT in nurturing economic competitiveness in the Kingdom and the impacts of this role on the economic and technological boom Saudi Arabia is experiencing nowadays. The presentation will also discuss how to tackle the challenges of the ICT sector and develop its success opportunities.
Gates will also participate in a CIO Summit which is focused on IT professionals. At the CIO Summit, Gates will speak about his vision concerning new directions in IT and the impacts this will have in the future. Outside these two main events, Microsoft’s chairman will have meetings with high-ranking government officials and top private sector executives. Officials from educational and vocational training organizations will also have an opportunity to interface with Gates and his team.
The Microsoft chairman’s visit is being greeted enthusiastically and top hotels in Riyadh are packed with attendees to the two main events being patronized by Gates. People seem to be truly interested in what he has to say.
“What’s important to understand is what Bill brings in addition to knowledge of the market, such as exposure to the world, exposure to how things have changed over the past 30 years in the world,” said Al-Daher. “That perspective is something that in my opinion is unique. That’s why people listen to him because he has gone to places where technology is in various stages of adoption. He has worked with many governments at different phases of maturity. For him to share his experiences concerning these (circumstances) over so many years, I think people would want to listen to him. That’s looking at it from the past. But also looking into the future, Bill is a visionary, he has earned a lot of respect from people concerning his thoughts on what will be coming in the future, especially in regards to technology and the impact of technology on business.”
Al-Daher believes that this is exactly the right time for Gates to highlight numerous issues that need to be tackled and put more weight behind certain topics.
“The Kingdom has done a lot over the past few years. There is a big focus for example on e-government and the king personally has made it clear that he needs to see improvement in e-government and providing citizen services,” said the Microsoft Arabia GM. “Microsoft wants to continue to work with the government on ways to bring in the best practices and experiences to this area.”
Al-Daher agreed that there are many challenges that need solutions when it comes to information and communications technology. These include difficulties in areas such as connectivity, PC penetration, training, network development and appropriate content development. He advised that these are all elements of the larger goal of creating a bright future for Saudi Arabia.
During Gates’ visit, new projects will be launched under several memorandums of understanding. Al-Daher advised that there will be agreements with government entities, private entities and charity organizations.
“We can discuss a few specifically, in advance,” he remarked. “With the Saudi Post we will be doing some strategic, leading edge combinations of traditional postal management with technology to provide the best services. Another set of agreements will be signed with the King Faisal Foundation and also with the Centennial Fund, an entity which is focused on working with young entrepreneurs to provide them with the opportunities to open their own businesses and give them financial, technical and business enablement to successfully launch their own companies.”
Of course, there are strategic outcomes that Microsoft Arabia would like to achieve as a result of Gates’ visit. Al-Daher is clear in stating that “closer ties between Microsoft and Saudi Arabia in general and between Microsoft and the Saudi government in particular,” are highly desired.
“As the GM of Microsoft Arabia, it is important to me to see that Microsoft does get closer to the government. We want to bring in all the experience we have built around the world to provide better government services to citizens and to deliver on the vision of the country as a whole and the vision of the custodian of the two holy mosques with his support of e-government and government services,” Al-Daher said. “Microsoft is committed to Saudi Arabia in a long-term way.”
He continued, “As a Saudi, of course, I would like to see the impact of all this on the young generation. Creating more job opportunities for the youth, creating job opportunities for women, especially because technology can really help women be bigger contributors to the growth of the Saudi economy. I would like to see how Microsoft can help in making that dream come true for half of our population. I would like as a person to see Microsoft contribute more to people who are not able to get access to technology. Whether they are not able financially, or physically or mentally, whatever the reason, as a person I would like to see how Microsoft can help make technology accessible for them. I know that the visit of Microsoft’s chairman is a milestone. It is not an end. It is not an objective, but it is no doubt a step toward a long-term strategic partnership between Microsoft and Saudi Arabia.”
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