Saudi Arabia has signed agreements with US technology giants Microsoft and Cisco Systems to train young Saudi Arabians and support the kingdom’s digital transformation plan.

The agreements were signed by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman al-Saud and are in line with the kingdom’s vision to involve the private sector in achieving this goal.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Microsoft entails training young Saudi nationals and supporting the kingdom’s digital transformation programme as part of the Vision 2030.

The MoU with Cisco Systems entails the development of the kingdom’s digital infrastructure.

One of the targets of Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Plan (NTP) is to connect at least 90 per cent of all residential units in its dense cities and 66 per cent elsewhere to high-speed broadband network over the next 15 years.

As well as improving its digital infrastructure, the NTP has indicated that establishing a national council to assist the kingdom’s digital transformation will be a priority. “…We will improve our regulations and establish an effective partnership with telecom operators to better develop this critical infrastructure,” the document said.

Several initiatives aimed at improving the public services delivery in the kingdom through technology has started prior to the NTP. These include the plan to transform Riyadh, the capital, into a smart city.

The Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), which spearheads the capital’s smart city strategy, has launched a year-long study in early 2016 that will eventually lead to the formation of a request for prequalification (RFP) for the technology platform of the Riyadh smart city project.