RIYADH — Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, signed on Saturday a memorandum of cooperation with South Africa, represented by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, to enhance joint cooperation between the two friendly countries in the fields of communications and information technology and to achieve technical development and expansion in the sector’s markets of the two countries.

The memorandum was signed by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Bin Amer Al-Sawaha and the Minister of Transport of South Africa Fikile Mbalula in the presence of a number of officials from both sides.

The memorandum provided for the cooperation of the two countries represented by the MCIT in Saudi Arabia and its South African counterpart in a number of areas, most notably the exchange of knowledge and experiences on digital transformation of sectors including education, health, e-government, tourism, smart cities, fixed and wireless broadband, IP networks and data centers, internet applications and wireless services, including satellite communications.

According to the memorandum, the two sides will also cooperate on several topics, including studies and research to facilitate joint investment projects in ICT infrastructure, digital communication and emerging technologies, the capacity and building of talents, as well as exchanging experience in developing digital economy policies, research and development, innovation, supporting emerging technology companies, in addition to cooperating in the areas of artificial intelligence, internet of things, cloud computing and digital government. — SPA