Kuwaiti tech authorities partner with Microsoft in digital transformation drive

Omar Al-Omar, minister of state for communications affairs, and Samer Abu-Ltaif, president of Microsoft for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. (KUNA)
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Updated 06 March 2025
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Kuwaiti tech authorities partner with Microsoft in digital transformation drive

  • Partnership will leverage AI technologies to support economic diversification
  • Scheme seeks to enhance entrepreneurship in Kuwait while preparing workforce for roles in emerging technologies

LONDON: Kuwaiti technology and communications authorities signed a strategic partnership agreement with Microsoft on Wednesday to accelerate the country’s digital transformation.

The Central Agency for Information Technology and the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority will collaborate with Microsoft to strengthen Kuwait’s position as a hub for artificial intelligence in alignment with the country’s Vision 2035.

Omar Al-Omar, minister of state for communications affairs, said that the partnership with Microsoft represents a significant milestone in leveraging AI technologies to support economic diversification plans.

The scheme seeks to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in Kuwait while preparing the workforce for leadership roles in emerging technologies, Kuwait News Agency reported.

It will also create a security platform that uses Microsoft solutions to protect Kuwait’s national digital infrastructure from cyber threats. Microsoft will launch a program to enhance digital skills in Kuwait’s workforce, focusing on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, KUNA added.

Samer Abu-Ltaif, president of Microsoft for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said that the partnership would enhance Kuwait’s digital infrastructure and contribute to economic sustainability.

He added that Microsoft would collaborate with Kuwaiti technology authorities to enhance cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity in the public sector.

Al-Omar said that the government will implement Copilot for Microsoft 365 solutions for its employees, improving efficiency and productivity in government agencies.

He said that the government is preparing to launch the Copilot Solutions Center of Excellence along with new data centers to meet growing demand from the Kuwaiti private sector for high-performance computing solutions and access to Microsoft services.


Palestinian VP meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board

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Palestinian VP meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board

  • Media reports say he is expected to serve as the representative on the ground in Gaza for the Board of Peace
  • Sheikh said that during his meeting with Mladenov, “an in-depth discussion took place on all political and field developments in the Palestinian territories“

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian vice president Hussein Al-Sheikh met on Friday with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who is expected to head the US-backed Board of Peace in Gaza.
The meeting in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah comes a day after Mladenov held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and met with President Isaac Herzog.
Bulgarian diplomat Mladenov served as the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process from early 2015 until the end of 2020.
Media reports say he is expected to serve as the representative on the ground in Gaza for the Board of Peace — a transitional body for the war-battered Palestinian territory which US President Donald Trump would theoretically chair.
In a statement on X, Sheikh said that during his meeting with Mladenov, “an in-depth discussion took place on all political and field developments in the Palestinian territories.”
He added there was “a focus on the situation in the Gaza Strip, means of transitioning to the second phase (of the ceasefire), mechanisms for implementing the US President Donald Trump’s plan, and UN Security Council Resolution 2803.”
That UN Security Council resolution endorsed the Trump plan in November.
Under Trump’s 20-point plan, Gaza will be governed by a temporary transitional technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, under the oversight and supervision of the Board of Peace.
Under the second stage of the fragile ceasefire that came into effect in October, Israel is supposed to gradually withdraw from its positions in Gaza, while Hamas is supposed to lay down its weapons.
An international stabilization force is also to be deployed.
But talks to bring about the second phase stalled after Israel accused Hamas of delaying the return of the last hostage in its custody.
Netanyahu met with Mladenov in Jerusalem on Thursday and “reiterated that Hamas must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip must be demilitarised,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
It said that Mladenov “is set to become the Director of the Gaza Strip Board of Peace.”
Herzog also met with Mladenov on Thursday, a spokesman from his office said, without providing details.
US media outlet Axios has reported that Trump is expected to announce the Board of Peace next week and that it would include around 15 world leaders.
“Among the countries expected to join the board are the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye,” Axios reported.
Some White House officials fear both Israel and Hamas are slow-walking the second stage of the ceasefire, with each side alleging frequent ceasefire violations.