Doha: The secure business and economic environment in Qatar has boosted investors’ confidence and has turned the nation into a preferred destination for companies. Technology is key to fueling economic development and increasing workforce competitiveness and transitioning to a non-risk economy, discussed panelists during a session of Tech Talks held by Qatar Financial Centre (QFC).
During the discussion, the panelists gave insights about the latest developments in Qatar’s local and digital workforce landscape and implications for Qatar’s labour market. They also shared an overview of Qatar’s emerging market ecosystem and explored ways to further develop the tech talent in the country in light of the accelerated digital transformation.
Jahongirbek Burhonov, Vice President Business Acquisition, QFC said, “The sudden break of the pandemic in 2020 continues to have transformational effects on businesses in all levels, redefining the global business dynamics, altering traditional business operations and to set the stage for key sectors namely digital.” He added that Qatar has notably turned these turbulences into gross catalyst to advance the realisation of this technological and digital transformation strategy which was launched before COVID-19 as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
He noted, significant strides were taken in this regards that contributed to bolstering the nations ICT ecosystem, creating a favourable economic environment for both local and digital international companies. “Qatar is one of the highest per capita enterprise spending nations in the Mena region backed by digital spending which is set to reach around $9bn by 2024, reflecting about 9 percent year-on-year growth until 2023," he said.
“This heavy investment in the IT infrastructure does not only takes forward Qatar’s digital transformation strategy it also continues to position Qatar on key ICT related rankings worldwide. Qatar has also ranked first worldwide on the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index 2020 (DARE Index 2020) released by the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict),” he added.
Burhonov said, these rankings point to incredibly secure business and economic environment which boosts investor confidence and turns Qatar into favourable, economic, and digital destination for the firms. “We are currently home to many well-known digital players like Oracle, QPay and despite challenges of 2020 we have demonstrated success attracting more digital companies in our platform as digitalisation creates both opportunities and challenges that transcend borders. It is vital to use the available resources to advance the technology and digital ecosystem in Qatar by developing fresh talent for long term success,” he added.
Latifa Al Thani, Education Sector Lead, Microsoft discussed on the topic ‘Contextualising Digital Skills’. Responding to a query about why is empowering a culture of learning and skilling important to drive digital transformation she said, “Today we know that technology is key to fueling economic development and increasing workforce competitiveness and transitioning to a non-risk economy. Unprecedented digital transformation is constantly happening, and we work today in an environment where AI and machine learning has entered the mainstream and it is increasingly accelerating the journey into transforming economies globally and redesigning the future of work.”
“As devices, connectivity and technology become more accessible and technological capabilities grow, we will ensure that every person has the skill needed to fully participate in this new digital society,” she added.
Speaking about the best approach to equip the future generation with the digital skills for tomorrow’s world and be ready for transformation she said, “As the world changes so does the future of our students. Today’s students need real life skills to thrive in the future and qualities like critical thinking, collaboration, creative skills, self-awareness, decision making and ability to tackle complex solutions.”
Microsoft is committed to nurture the national talents in Qatar across all demographics and ensure to stay relevant in the new global digital economy and enhance the country’s competitiveness in regional and global level.
Eman Al Kuwari, Head of Emerging Technology, TASMU said “Digital skills underpins the success of entire TASMU digital programs. The TASMU Smart Qatar programs are about harnessing technology and improving the quality of life of citizens and bring economic diversification.”
“We are relentlessly supporting the local digital startups through the flagship programs ICT skills development and innovation lab, digital incubation center, TASMU accelerator at the TASMU Digital Valley and trying to build an end user digital skill through the ICT skills development and digital inclusion program. The digital skills are expected to act as the key engine of the digital transformation across the national key priorities,” she added.
