MUSCAT: The official session of talks, headed by Eng. Saeed bin Hamoud AlMaawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and Abdullah bin Amer al Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia, discussed the way forward to boost digital transformation in the two countries.

The meeting was based on the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology in the Sultanate of Oman and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that was signed in November of 2021. Following the MoU, an executive program was signed to create a joint working environment between the two countries and enhance cooperation in the field of digital transformation.

In addition to that, an executive program was also signed in the field of skills qualification, with the intent to implement initiatives to build national digital capabilities in areas of modern technologies that are related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As part of the agreement, the first batch of 120 Omanis completed their training program in specialized courses in the fields of cyber security, the Internet of things, artificial intelligence, and programming; it included programs to develop technical skills and enhance competitiveness for advanced technical jobs in the digital labor market. The second batch of 240 Omani trainees will start their program this month for courses on networking, electronic games development, cyber security, network development and protection, the Internet of things, and business analysis.