NEW DELHI: India’s digital cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia will further strategic relations and boost each country’s growth, experts said on Monday after the two nations signed a technology deal last week.
Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha and India’s Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw signed the agreement on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 digital economy meeting in Bengaluru.
The agreement on digitization and electronic manufacturing seeks to boost Saudi-Indian cooperation in digital infrastructure, including e-health and e-learning, and strengthen partnership in digital research and innovation, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The deal signifies both India and Saudi Arabia’s growth ambitions and how they can achieve their goals together, said Dr. Lakshmi Priya, a researcher at the Indian Council of World Affairs.
“The agreement is significant as India is a growing economy with the world’s largest population and is keen to strengthen its digital infrastructure for further growth,” Priya told Arab News.
“On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is opening up under the leadership of the crown prince MBS and is working toward achieving a robust digital infrastructure, especially with the aim of attracting major foreign investments and promotion of the tourism sector.”
Digital cooperation would also help to further strategic relations, especially in the digital transformation of the defense industry, she said.
“Apart from facilitating further future economic cooperation it will boost our partnership in technological innovations,” Priya said.
Digital cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia is also expected to open up new opportunities for the two countries, said Dr. Huda Al-Fardus, CEO of Riyadh-based HealthGena.
“Deepening digital collaboration between India and Saudi Arabia offers immense opportunities to leverage India’s robust technology ecosystem, skilled workforce and innovative startups, further accelerating technological advancements, economic growth and fostering knowledge exchange between the two nations,” Al-Fardus told Arab News.
Al-Fardus, who took part in the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Summit in New Delhi last month, said that the agreement would support the two countries’ digital economy sector.
“This is a significant support to the digital economy ecosystem especially for the startup incubation and business acceleration sectors,” she said.
