Saudi CITC hosts meeting to discuss future of digital communications ahead of ITU elections

Saudi Arabia is hosting two ITU preparatory meetings namely, Arab states and inter-regional. 
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Updated 28 August 2022
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Saudi CITC hosts meeting to discuss future of digital communications ahead of ITU elections

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission is hosting a meeting in Riyadh to discuss the future of digital communications with experts from around the world.

The four-day meeting began in the Saudi capital on Sunday. It comes ahead of the International Telecommunication Union’s 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest Romania to be held between Sept. 26 and Oct. 14, according to a statement. 

The preparatory meeting will help the ITU craft the next four years of its global agenda ahead of the 2022 elections. 

“Riyadh is the ideal venue to bring together ICT and digital leaders from around the world to align on the next generation of sustainable ICT policies,” said CITC Gov. Mohammed Altamimi. 

Saudi Arabia is hosting two ITU preparatory meetings namely, Arab states and inter-regional. 

The former will allow the region to better coordinate its digital policies and sustainable development goals, while the latter will enable representatives from the ITU’s six regions to identify common digital policies for the next four years. 


Saudi environmental compliance sector unveils opportunities worth over $8bn

Updated 9 sec ago
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Saudi environmental compliance sector unveils opportunities worth over $8bn

RIYADH: The Invest Saudi platform offers specialized opportunities with expected revenues exceeding SR30 billion ($8 billion), according to the National Center for Environmental Compliance.

In a statement, the center invited local and international investors to seize the listed opportunities and benefit from various incentives, ranging from administrative support to direct financing.

Saad Al-Zubaidi, executive director of business development, explained that this market size reflects the specialized nature of the environmental compliance sector as a supporting sector for all economic activities. 

Sectors such as industry, energy, mining, construction, services, and infrastructure rely on it to comply with environmental regulations and enhance operational efficiency.

Incentive and financing packages

The center, in integration with various government entities, is working on developing comprehensive incentive packages for investors in the field.

These packages include direct financing tools, soft loans, and guarantee programs, in addition to regulatory and procedural enablers aimed at accelerating the investment cycle and reducing operational risks.

The payback period for investments starts from 4 years and does not exceed 7 years at most, according to the center.

The current market size stands at SR14 billion, according to Al-Zubaidi, who expects it to double within 5 years.

The market diversifies across fields including the manufacturing of pollution control systems, the manufacturing of air and water quality monitoring devices, soil and groundwater rehabilitation, and building specialized technical capacities in the environmental field.

Trend toward localizing environmental technologies

Al-Zubaidi confirmed that the announced opportunities have had their preliminary studies completed and are available for investors to review their details and to complete technical and financial feasibility studies according to various business models.

The focus is not limited to maximizing economic return but extends to localizing environmental technologies, transferring knowledge, and building local value chains capable of meeting the growing demand across various sectors.