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Empowerment and inclusion are essential elements of the digital transformation and sustainable development journey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the State seeks to ensure that all segments of society, without exception, benefit from the digital opportunities available in light of the rapid economic and technological developments. Through Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is dedicating its efforts to promoting equal access to digital services, education, and job opportunities, with a focus on empowering the most vulnerable groups, such as women, people with disabilities, the elderly, and residents of remote areas.
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to ensuring that all citizens and residents have easy and affordable access to the Internet, in addition to making digital government services available to them, and enhancing their effective participation in public consultations and decision-making processes. In this context, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has implemented a wide range of programs and initiatives aimed at providing digital government services, facilitating access to them, and enabling citizens to benefit from them effectively. Plans have also been developed to eradicate digital illiteracy and build technical skills, to ensure that all segments of society, including women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, low-income families, and refugees, have equal access to digital development.
These efforts are overseen by an integrated system of government and technical entities, each of which plays a pivotal role in achieving digital empowerment and inclusion.
It leads the efforts to organize and enable digital transformation in the government sector, by setting regulatory frameworks, adopting digital policies and standards, ensuring the quality of electronic services, and promoting technical innovation to improve the user experience.
Digital Inclusion is a key element in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s journey towards achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, as it represents an important aspect of national development plans. The third axis of the vision, “An Ambitious Nation,” supports digital transformation as a key factor in improving quality of life and promoting fair and comprehensive access to digital services, with a focus on empowering the neediest groups to ensure that no one is left behind.
National Transformation Program
In the framework of implementing Saudi Vision 2030, the National Transformation Program develops a set of strategic objectives that contribute to accelerating the pace of digital integration and enhancing the use of technical services, the most prominent of which are:
- For more information about the National Transformation Program document, click here.
The National Transformation Program works to enhance digital inclusion and enable individuals to benefit from modern technologies, through qualitative initiatives that contribute to developing the digital infrastructure, expanding access to services, and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. The most prominent of these initiatives are:
(2023-2030) Digital Governance Strategy
Through its digital government strategy, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is adopting an ambitious approach to achieve a comprehensive digital transformation based on Saudi Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The strategy aims to provide advanced and effective digital government services that contribute to improving the quality of life and enhancing government performance, while working to achieve an advanced ranking among the top ten countries in the world in digital government by 2030.
This strategy is based on six pillars that support the achievement of effective digital transformation:
Through these strategies, the Kingdom continues to build an integrated digital future that enhances innovation, supports digital inclusion, and makes technology a key tool for improving the quality of life and achieving sustainable development.
Connectivity
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making significant progress in developing its digital infrastructure, enhancing digital inclusion and enabling access to internet and telecommunications services for all. Thanks to these efforts, the Kingdom ranked second globally among G20 countries in the United Nations Telecommunications Infrastructure Index.
Network Coverage and Digital Connectivity
Internet Usage in the Kingdom
Mobile Phone Ownership
Fixed and Mobile Broadband Subscriptions
5G networks play a major role in digitizing the Saudi economy, as:
These statistics reflect the significant progress that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made in the field of digital empowerment and inclusiveness, as the government continues to enhance infrastructure, reduce internet costs, and provide digital services to all, contributing to achieving Saudi Vision 2030 towards a thriving and sustainable digital economy.
Digital Services Accessibility
The Kingdom is keen to provide its digital services to all citizens, residents and visitors around the clock, as all government portals comply with the "WCAG 2.0 AAA" standards to ensure ease of use and accessibility for people with disabilities and different groups.
A set of global standards that aim to improve accessibility to web content, with a focus on enabling people with disabilities to use websites efficiently and easily. These standards are based on three levels:
WCAG 2.0 standards are based on four main principles to ensure an integrated user experience:
- For more information, click here.
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
It is responsible for developing digital infrastructure, expanding connectivity, and promoting digital transformation at the national level, in addition to leading initiatives such as “Digital Vision” that aim to enable individuals and businesses to benefit from modern technologies and enhance digital skills.
Communications and Space Technology Commission
It works to regulate the communications and space technology sector, ensure the provision of high-speed internet throughout the Kingdom, and improve the user experience, with a focus on reducing the digital divide, especially in remote and deprived areas.
Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority
It leads efforts to employ big data and artificial intelligence to support digital transformation, improve the efficiency of government services, and develop innovative solutions that enhance digital inclusion, such as the “Nafath” Platform and the unified digital identity.
General Authority for Statistics
It provides the necessary statistical data and analysis to measure the extent of achieving digital inclusion, which helps guide policies and make data-based decisions to enhance digital transformation and ensure access to services for all groups.
Reducing Internet Costs and Enhancing Digital Inclusion
In order to ensure everyone has access to the internet without barriers or obstacles, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched several initiatives, including:
Rural areas in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia receive great attention within the government's efforts to promote digital inclusion, within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to reduce the digital gap between urban and rural areas by expanding digital infrastructure, as mobile phone network coverage extends to all residents, while 4G services reach most rural areas, with the continued deployment of 5G networks to ensure high internet speeds and improve communication quality.
As part of these efforts, the government has launched a number of initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of life and providing better livelihoods, the most prominent of which are:
Furthermore, the Kingdom has launched initiatives such as “Digital Giving” that aim to spread digital awareness and digital literacy across Saudi Arabia, including rural areas.
Accessibility standards for all government portals and mobile applications
All Government Entities and service providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are required, under the approved legal regulations and laws, to implement the WCAG 2.0 AAA digital accessibility standards to ensure ease of use and enable all individuals to access digital services, especially people with disabilities. These standards include providing options to adjust font sizes to suit the needs of the visually impaired, ensuring color contrast to meet the requirements of people with color blindness, and providing alternative texts for images and illustrations. The standards also focus on identifying the optimal accessibility tools for people with disabilities, such as screen readers, text-to-speech programs, and translation of content into Braille. These initiatives aim to enhance digital accessibility and ensure equal access to digital government services.
It is one of the most prominent digital initiatives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, providing an integrated system of electronic government services for citizens and residents. The portal was designed according to the highest standards of digital accessibility, ensuring a smooth and effective user experience for all groups, including people with disabilities, by providing an accessible technical environment that allows them to benefit from services easily and independently.
The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attaches top priority to eradicating digital illiteracy and building digital skills, recognizing their pivotal role in enhancing digital competitiveness and technological inclusiveness. Through the programs and initiatives it has provided and continues to provide, the Kingdom has succeeded in consolidating its position among the top ten countries in the world in digital skills, according to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum for 2020. It also won the International Telecommunication Union Award for its pioneering program in empowering women in the field of technology, reflecting its ongoing commitment to developing digital capabilities and enabling all segments of society to keep pace with the global digital transformation.
Digital Skills Framework: It is an approved national framework developed by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to identify and classify the digital skills required in the labor market, based on the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), a global standard used to describe professional skills in the fields of information and communications technology (ICT). The framework aims to enable individuals and institutions to develop digital capabilities, and enhance the alignment between acquired skills and the needs of the digital economy.
It is a national program under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. It aims to qualify and empower national cadres with advanced digital skills, to ensure their suitability with the requirements of the labor market and support sustainable growth in the communications and information technology sector.
Program Objectives
- For more information about the program, click here.
It is one of the initiatives launched by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in order to enhancing women's participation in the communications and information technology sector, enabling them to acquire advanced digital skills, and qualifying them to occupy leadership roles in the technical field.
Program Objectives
It is a non-profit initiative launched in 2018 under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, aiming to enhance digital awareness among all segments of society. The initiative seeks to enable specialists to disseminate digital knowledge and contribute to enriching Arabic technical content, in addition to supporting and developing local technical communities.
Statistics
| Number of Training Courses | More than 1,900 training courses. |
| Number of Beneficiaries | More than 18 million people. |
| Number of Members | More than 250,000 members. |
| Number of Partners | More than 100 local and international partners. |
| Number of Ambassadors | More than 100 ambassadors. |
| Number of Mentors in “Your Digital Path” Program | More than 300 mentors. |
- For more information about the training courses, click here.
It is an innovative initiative under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, aiming to anticipate the future and enhance digital awareness of emerging technologies, which contributes to building a stimulating and supportive digital environment for innovation.
It is a non-profit organization established in 2011 by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with the aim of empowering Saudi youth and enhancing their leadership and cognitive capabilities, thus achieving an effective contribution to building a sustainable future for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The foundation is committed to supporting and developing national talents by providing an incubator environment for creativity and innovation, with a focus on two main axes: education and entrepreneurship, in addition to science and technology as a supportive field to enhance youth competitiveness.
The Misk Foundation provides an integrated system of strategic programs and tracks to empower Saudi youth, through developing skills, qualifying leaders, supporting entrepreneurship, and enhancing community participation. These initiatives are distributed across four main tracks designed to achieve a sustainable impact:
Tuwaiq Academy was established in August 2019 under the supervision of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, to become a leading center for developing technical skills and enhancing national competencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The academy seeks to empower local talent by providing intensive training programs in programming, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and electronic game development, targeting different age groups and professional levels.
Center of Digital Entrepreneurship
It is a pioneering educational initiative that aims to empower Saudi youth to acquire advanced technical skills in programming. The center offers specialized training programs in modern programming technologies such as application development, artificial intelligence, and data analysis, which enhances the capabilities of participants and qualifies them to enter the digital labor market. This is done through interactive workshops and training courses that aim to enhance innovation and develop digital entrepreneurship skills.
King Abdullah Public Education Development Program (Tatweer): It is an initiative launched by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2007. It aims to develop the public education system in the Kingdom by improving curricula, qualifying teachers, enhancing the learning environment, and introducing modern technology into the educational process.
Project Objectives
Enhancing extracurricular activities to develop students' intellectual and social skills
Digital inclusion is essential for delivering government services through various channels that ensure efficiency, speed and reliability, while providing a personalized and smart user experience that efficiently meets the needs of individuals.
- For more information about e-services for Government Agencies, click here.
As part of our commitment to promoting digital inclusion, we are committed to enabling users to fully and effectively benefit from e-government services, ensuring a smooth experience and high efficiency that keeps pace with the aspirations of the digital future.
- For more information, click here.
