logo
‘Madrasati' Platform Wins Top Honor at WSIS Forum 2025

‘Madrasati' Platform Wins Top Honor at WSIS Forum 2025

Leaders08-07-2025
Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Education, has won the grand prize in the e-learning category at the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum Awards for its innovative 'Madrasati' platform. Developed entirely by national experts, the platform supports public education and reflects the Kingdom's commitment to digital transformation.
This prestigious award highlights a nationwide effort to integrate advanced technologies in education, positioning Saudi Arabia as a global leader in digital learning and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
'Madrasati' was recognized for its pivotal role in creating a robust digital learning environment that currently serves over six million students and more than 500,000 teachers across the Kingdom.
The award also provided a global platform for the Ministry of Education to showcase Saudi Arabia's progress in digital education and its commitment to enhancing the quality of e-learning.
Related Topics :
22 Projects Open for Public Consultation via Istitlaa Platform
AI-Powered Baseer Platform: Cutting-Edge Technology for Efficient Hajj Crowd Management
SDAIA Winter School Boosts AI Sector with International Researchers
Saudi Arabia Maintains Leadership in Global Cybersecurity Ranking in 2025
Short link :
Post Views: 11 Related Stories
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Saudi Arabia concludes participation in UN High-Level Political Forum 2025 on sustainable development
Saudi Arabia concludes participation in UN High-Level Political Forum 2025 on sustainable development

Saudi Gazette

time7 days ago

  • Saudi Gazette

Saudi Arabia concludes participation in UN High-Level Political Forum 2025 on sustainable development

Saudi Gazette report NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia concluded its participation in the 2025 United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which brought together nations to review global efforts and progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the 2030 Agenda. The forum ran from July 14 to 23 at the UN headquarters in New York. The Saudi delegation was led by Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim and included representatives from nine government entities: the Ministries of Economy and Planning, Foreign Affairs, Health, Human Resources and Social Development, and Environment, Water and Agriculture; the Saudi Fund for Development; Madinah Development Authority; the National Center for Wildlife; and the Quality of Life Program. In his remarks, Minister Al-Ibrahim highlighted Saudi Arabia's rapid progress on sustainable development indicators within the G20 over the past decade, attributing it to Vision 2030, which he described as a national project born from the aspirations of the leadership and the Saudi people. "Vision 2030 has enabled the Kingdom to become the fastest-progressing G20 country in SDG indicators over the last 10 years," Al-Ibrahim said. "This progress reflects the power of aligning ambition with structured action, strong political will, and effective policies." He also pointed to innovative local initiatives, such as the launch of the Sustainable Development Atlas by Madinah City, which covers all 70 of its neighborhoods and supports evidence-based policy design through comprehensive data mapping and scenario modeling. Saudi Arabia's water sustainability efforts were spotlighted as the Kingdom was recognized by the UN Water Committee for its clear progress on SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), particularly in integrated water resources management. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture presented key lessons learned in securing water sustainability in one of the world's most arid regions during a dedicated side event. Additionally, the Ministry of Economy and Planning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the Quality of Life Program, and the Madinah Development Authority, organized a side event focusing on cross-sectoral integration, institutional capabilities, and innovation to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) also participated with an informational pavilion showcasing its contributions to global sustainable development through the financing of projects in health, education, energy, infrastructure, industry, and mining. On the sidelines of the forum, Minister Al-Ibrahim held a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials to explore opportunities for strategic partnerships, economic cooperation, and investment. The High-Level Political Forum is held annually under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council and serves as a key platform for tracking SDG progress since its inception in 2012.

Over 424,000 Saudis enroll in AI training as SDAIA scales national transformation
Over 424,000 Saudis enroll in AI training as SDAIA scales national transformation

Saudi Gazette

time25-07-2025

  • Saudi Gazette

Over 424,000 Saudis enroll in AI training as SDAIA scales national transformation

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — More than 424,000 Saudi citizens have enrolled in the "SAMAI" initiative — an artificial intelligence (AI) awareness and training program led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) — as part of the Kingdom's ambitious plan to equip 1 million Saudis with foundational AI knowledge. The initiative reflects the nation's broader efforts to build a digitally empowered society aligned with Vision 2030. SDAIA highlighted the growing global impact of data and AI technologies, which it said are driving transformative change across sectors such as education, healthcare, industry, cybersecurity, agriculture, energy, and national security. These technologies are not only enhancing productivity and innovation, but also helping solve complex developmental challenges to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and peaceful world. Since its establishment in 2019, SDAIA has become the Kingdom's national reference in the regulation and advancement of data and AI. The authority focuses on maximizing the economic value of data, ensuring ethical AI practices, and developing local capabilities through specialized courses and certifications. SDAIA also issued a comprehensive set of AI regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines for both government entities and the public, including principles on generative AI, deepfake content, national data governance, and academic standards for AI-related disciplines. These guidelines aim to ensure safe, responsible, and culturally aligned adoption of AI technologies. To raise trust in AI systems, SDAIA launched an AI service provider certification program for the private sector. Certified providers are evaluated across five maturity levels—from 'Aware' to 'Leader'—and are granted a validity period of one year, encouraging higher quality AI applications and services. The authority further introduced a self-assessment tool on AI ethics via the National Data Governance Platform. This tool supports public and private institutions in evaluating their ethical compliance during AI development and deployment phases. In a move to address global concerns, SDAIA released a specialized report on AI bias, highlighting risks that emerge as AI adoption grows across critical sectors worldwide. The report emphasizes the need for fairness and inclusivity in algorithmic decision-making. SDAIA has also advanced personal data protection by introducing the Kingdom's 'Personal Data Protection Law,' which regulates how personal data—such as names, addresses, ID numbers, images, and financial information—is processed and shared. The law seeks to preserve privacy and prevent misuse of data in both public and private sectors. One of SDAIA's most impactful projects to date is its partnership with the Expenditure and Project Efficiency Authority, which resulted in over SR5 billion in financial impact through the 'DEEM Cloud' platform. The platform consolidated 230 data centers and now offers 49 services to more than 180 government entities. Looking ahead, AI is projected to play a major role in global employment shifts. According to the World Economic Forum's latest 'Future of Jobs' report, AI will contribute to the creation of 69 million new jobs over the coming years. Complementary research by the International Labour Organization suggests generative AI will support human roles rather than eliminate them by automating selected tasks. In terms of efficiency, consulting firms Deloitte and McKinsey estimate that generative AI can reduce operational costs by up to 30%. McKinsey's study of over 1,300 companies revealed significant cost savings in HR departments (10–37%) and profit growth in supply chain divisions, in some cases exceeding 6%.

New Arabic data governance platform to ‘elevate local talent,' says Governata co-founder
New Arabic data governance platform to ‘elevate local talent,' says Governata co-founder

Arab News

time23-07-2025

  • Arab News

New Arabic data governance platform to ‘elevate local talent,' says Governata co-founder

RIYADH: A newly launched platform will allow Saudi companies to align their data regulations with national AI policies, supporting local talent, according to the company's co-founder. Governata enables companies to coordinate with the Kingdom's National Data Management Office, or NDMO, and Saudi Data and AI Authority, or SDAIA, guidelines. All data remains hosted domestically to ensure compliance and cost control. Governata co-founder, Djamel Mohand, spoke to Arab News about the company's localization strategy. Mohand emphasized three advantages for Saudi businesses. First, on talent development: 'They can leverage local talents better,' he said, through locally built software that used government initiatives such as MISK and SDAIA. This enabled 'thousands of homegrown data engineers, data specialists and other experts to be involved in improvement of these technologies, not only distribute global tech.' Second, on organizational adoption: 'The localization aspect enables businesses to use this technology across the whole organization,' which Mohand said required a high level of cultural understanding to engage multiple business owners for full impact. Third, addressing data sovereignty, Mohand said the 'local closed-loop setup protects standard solutions, as hosting the data on-premises or in the local cloud has become the norm. However, this is not enough if local businesses want to ensure full data protection.' Mohand added that the Kingdom was leading in AI through big investments in GPU imports, local data centers and computing power capabilities. However, he warned: 'A bottleneck to enablement will occur if data infrastructure and company management are not aligned.' Governata claims to address this challenge. Mohand said: 'Our mission is to prepare Saudi organizations to leverage all this AI power being created by the country's leadership. 'As we elevate organizational maturity in data management, we elevate local talent,' he added. Mohand said that the platform activated 'thousands of data scientists, software engineers, integration specialists, domain experts and business managers from Saudi Arabia's outstanding talent pool' while developing skills internally.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store