Qatar, Saudi Arabia sign agreement on digital government advancement

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement on the expansion of digital governance capabilities, in the latest bilateral cooperation between the two Gulf States.

According to Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), its Minister, Mohammed Bin Ali Al Mannai, and his Saudi counterpart, Abdullah Bin Amer Alsawaha, signed an agreement on the sidelines of Saudi Arabia’s international LEAP conference in Riyadh yesterday, undertaking to collaborate in advancing the digitisation of their governance systems.

The agreement reportedly aims to enhance bilateral digital government transformation, including in capacity and competency building, in order facilitate drives in research, development and investment for the betterment of Qatari and Saudi digital governance.

Highlighting the two Gulf States’ common dedication to advancing technological innovation, Al Mannai hailed the strong relations between Doha and Riyadh as allowing for mutually beneficial opportunities across multiple sectors, stating that “we anticipate a productive partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that fosters the exchange of experiences and best practices in delivering government services, digital transformation, infrastructure development and innovation promotion”.

Aside from signifying both States’ aims to increasingly digitise their governance structures and services – along with the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region – the agreement reportedly falls within the framework of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council (QSCC), which was announced in 2021 when Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed to advance bilateral relations in line with each other’s Vision 2030 goals, following years of a diplomatic rift between them.

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