RIYADH: The Badir Program for Technology Incubators and Accelerators at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon Global.
The objective behind the accord is to help the Kingdom’s emerging technology companies improve their performance using innovative cloud technologies and solutions provided by AWS’ on-demand computing platform.
AWS provides low-cost cloud infrastructure to businesses, government organizations and owners of emerging business in 190 countries across the world.
AWS will allow companies to take advantage of Amazon’s expertise and economies of scale to receive the needed resources and achieve desired results at a faster pace.
Nawaf A. Al-Sahhaf, CEO of the Badir Program, described the agreement as an effective model and a culmination of the program’s efforts to support entrepreneurs by adopting world-class solutions aimed at enhancing Saudi youth entrepreneurship capabilities and establishing small businesses.
“We, at Badir, aim to cooperate with value-added global companies to help emerging technology companies facilitate their businesses and deliver high added value to consumers,” he said.
The partnership with Amazon Global will add a new dimension to cloud computing services and other related business applications in the field of technology businesses, he said.
“It will help companies that use them save time, effort and money, and achieve positive results in terms of improving performance and customer service or reducing costs, aside from completing works safely.”
According to Al-Sahhaf, cloud computing enables startups to obtain greater operational flexibility by removing the need to create a traditional infrastructure which leads to reduced costs, in addition to enhancing operational integration and providing the highest levels of security for internal office tasks.
“This creates a balance between companies, regardless of their size, and enables them to obtain the flexibility and technology of large companies to increase or reduce their operations quickly without the need for large capital expenditures.”
The CEO confirmed that many organizations in the region have already started witnessing the results of using cloud technologies, after having seen improvements in growth and customer service.
He said incubated companies at Badir can now benefit from these advanced services which provide new and emerging companies a chance to expand their businesses in target markets.
Under the agreement, incubated companies at Badir will receive free Amazon cloud services. The companies will be eligible for a promotional credit of $5,000 valid for two years and free use of AWS basics and professional technical accreditation courses.
Additionally, they will be provided with around 80 unique references for the use of electronic laboratory services, outstanding works support services from Amazon for a full year, as well as free access to virtual working hours face-to-face with the company’s engineers.
A package of resources for emerging companies, including AWS modules, training and providing developers with support and a forum for the technical community, will also be provided.
KACST signs deal to help emerging technology companies
KACST signs deal to help emerging technology companies
300,000 Saudis quit smoking in 2025 as health push gains momentum
- Nicotine pouch manufacturer says it wants to help 1m people quit by 2028
- Trend in line with Vision 2030 goals to reduce preventable health risks
ALKHOBAR: New research shows that 300,000 people in Saudi Arabia quit smoking last year, reflecting growing support for the nation’s Vision 2030 goals to improve quality of life and reduce preventable health risks.
According to nicotine alternatives company Badael, the number of people known to have quit rose from 400,000 in January 2025 to 700,000 by the year’s end.
Of the total, 200,000 people went on to cut out nicotine entirely, including the use of pouches, the company said.
International studies support this trend. The WHO’s Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use notes that many smokers quit in stages, often using alternatives before fully ending their nicotine dependence. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control similarly highlights harm reduction as a pathway to complete cessation when used responsibly.
For many Saudis, the decision to quit was driven by personal health concerns.
Ahmed Al-Omari, 32, said he gave up after smoking for more than a decade.
“I started noticing how much smoking was affecting my energy and breathing,” he said.
“Once cigarettes were no longer part of my daily routine, I didn’t want to rely on nicotine either.”
Research published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews shows that cessation is more successful when driven by internal motivation and lifestyle goals rather than fear-based messaging alone, a trend health specialists say is increasingly visible among Saudis.
Mariam Al-Dossary, 27, said she stopped smoking as part of a broader effort to improve her health.
“It reached a point where smoking didn’t fit the life I wanted anymore,” she said.
“Once I made that decision, sticking to it became easier.”
Studies from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have found that health behavior changes linked to improved sleep, fitness and energy levels are more likely to be sustained over time, reinforcing the importance of quality of life motivations in smoking cessation.
Young Saudis are also quitting earlier than in previous generations.
Mohammed Al-Shahri, 22, said he decided to give up smoking while he was at university.
“I didn’t want smoking to be something I carried into my future,” he said.
“A lot of people my age are thinking differently about it now.”
Badael, which develops and manufactures the nicotine pouch product DZRT, said its focus was on providing alternatives for adult smokers seeking to move away from combustible tobacco. It said its products were intended for harm reduction, not long-term dependence.
The fact 200,000 former smokers later quit nicotine entirely highlighted the importance of supporting sustained behavioral change beyond stubbing out cigarettes, the company said.
It said it wanted to help 1 million people in Saudi Arabia quit smoking by 2028.
By combining public awareness, regulatory measures and accessible cessation pathways, the Kingdom appears to be moving toward a future where smoking is no longer the norm.
