Tech giant Apple chooses Riyadh university to host its first iOS Developer Academy in the Middle East

Apple opened its first iOS Developer Academy in October 2016, at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy. (Apple)
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Updated 08 July 2021
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Tech giant Apple chooses Riyadh university to host its first iOS Developer Academy in the Middle East

  • The new academy would provide tools and training for aspiring female entrepreneurs, developers and designers

RIYADH: Impressed with that new app on your iPhone? Soon, the chances are it will have been designed and created in Saudi Arabia.
Tech giant Apple has chosen Riyadh as the home for its latest Developer Academy, where young entrepreneurs produce innovative software for the iOS operating system that powers its phones and tablets.
The new academy, Apple’s first in the Middle East, will be a partnership with the Saudi Federation for Cyber ​​Security, Programming and Drones, represented by Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, the world’s largest women’s university.
Federation chairman Faisal Al-Khamisi said the new academy would provide tools and training for aspiring female entrepreneurs, developers and designers to establish start-up companies and find jobs in the field of iOS applications. The focus tracks would include programming, business applications, marketing, design, and professional skills, he said.
“In our partnership with Apple, we will work together and strive to create an economic ecosystem for business to instill skills that enhance innovation and technology, and ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for our local community and the societies of the world that will undoubtedly benefit.”
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Al-Sawaha, said the new academy was “an investment in the digital minds and skills of our girls … building the innovative future of the nation and the transformation toward an economy based on innovation and digital transformation.”
Apple opened its first iOS Developer Academy in October 2016, at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy. It now has campuses in the US, Brazil, South Korea, and Indonesia. Academy entrepreneurs have created more than 1,500 apps for iOS, and established more than 160 startup companies.


Saudi defense minister receives Mukalla port director, thanks him for heroic role

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman poses with the director of the Port of Mukalla Salem Basamir on Tuesday.
Updated 13 January 2026
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Saudi defense minister receives Mukalla port director, thanks him for heroic role

  • Prince Khalid thanked Basamir for his heroic and humanitarian role in ensuring safety and protecting lives and property at the port

RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received the director of the Port of Mukalla Salem Basamir on Tuesday.
In a post on social media platform X, Prince Khalid thanked Basamir for his heroic and humanitarian role in ensuring safety and protecting lives and property at the port.
The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen carried out a limited airstrike in December targeting foreign military support at the Port of Mukalla in the Hadramaut governorate, where calm has been restored after a period of tension.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency following the strikes, coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said two ships coming from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates entered the Port of Mukalla without obtaining official permits from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition.
“The crews of the two ships disabled their tracking systems and unloaded a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles to support the Southern Transitional Council forces in the eastern governorates of Yemen (Hadramaut and Al-Mahra) with the aim of fueling the conflict. This is a clear violation of the truce and the pursuit of a peaceful solution, as well as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2216,” said the spokesman.