Saudi Arabia and Ukraine to Partner in Technological Advancements
In a bid to enhance Saudi Arabia’s technological landscape, Ukraine has shown interest in collaborating with the Kingdom across various sectors such as agri-tech, fintech, and cybersecurity.
During his visit to Riyadh, Oleksandr Bornyakov, Ukraine’s vice minister of digital transformation, emphasized Ukraine’s expertise in technology and its potential to assist Saudi Arabia in its digital transformation journey.
Bornyakov met with officials from the Kingdom’s information and investment ministries and the General Authority of Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at) to explore potential collaborations.
Describing his visit as an opportunity to understand the Kingdom’s tech sector needs, Bornyakov stated, “I think there’s an interest in bringing this expertise to Saudi Arabia.”
He highlighted Ukraine’s educational framework that fosters talent in various sectors and expressed willingness to support Saudi Arabia in its digitization efforts across industries like healthcare, automotive, energy, and finance.
Bornyakov aims to establish government-level relationships in Riyadh to pave the way for future collaborations with private sector entities, including startups.
In addition, he presented digital products to Saudi officials for potential government-to-government use during his visit.
“The world is changing fast, and I can’t imagine my life without many digital things that I have become used to. So I think any country that wants to follow up on this and, be on the edge of the technology has to change and invest a lot in this.”
Oleksandr Bornyakov, Ukraine’s vice minister of digital transformation
Bornyakov commended Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning tech sector and encouraged the development of an entrepreneurship culture to drive innovation and product creation.
He lauded Saudi Arabia’s business-friendly environment for foreign investments and recognized the Kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy in alignment with Vision 2030 goals.
HIGHLIGHT
Oleksandr Bornyakov’s visit to Riyadh seeks to establish relationships on the government level for future collaborations with private sector entities and startups.
Bornyakov shared insights about Ukraine’s Diaa application, enabling digital document usage for identification and access to government services, with over 20 million active users in Ukraine.
He highlighted the potential for such applications in the Gulf Cooperation Council region to streamline identification processes and eliminate the need for physical documents.
Ukraine has made the source code for these applications open to facilitate the development of similar solutions tailored to specific country requirements, including those in the GCC.
“We have opened source code, so you don’t have to pay us. So you can take this and we can showcase and you can use the source code to build, something that you own as this union (GCC), and use it for the sake of its people.”