Qatar’s digital transformation powered by strategic partnerships

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are driving Qatar’s ambitious digital transformation, industry leaders highlighted on the sidelines of Web Summit Qatar, which concluded on Wednesday.

Speaking at the ‘Building Partnerships to Drive Success’ panel discussion, Sheikh Ali bin Jabor bin Mohammad al-Thani, CEO of Ooredoo Qatar, and Ghassan Kosta, regional general manager of Google Cloud, discussed how collaboration between their organisations played a key role in the national innovation agenda.

Sheikh Ali and Kosta also shared insights on how strategic collaborations between Ooredoo and Google Cloud, especially PPPs, are accelerating innovation across Qatar’s economy.

According to Sheikh Ali, PPPs represent “the right model for us in Qatar” by “bringing the best of both worlds,” citing the strategic Qatar National Vision 2030, public sector resources, and the private sector’s innovation and agility.

Echoing Sheikh Ali’s sentiment, Kosta, who pointed to Qatar’s national development strategy, said: “If you look at Qatar National Vision 2030, it clearly outlines the ambition to transform the nation from a carbon-based economy to a knowledge-based economy.

“And this cannot happen in isolation. It needs collaboration – a strong collaborative ecosystem bringing together the government, the private, and global vendors,” said Kosta.

Sheikh Ali emphasised that as Qatar positions itself as a global innovation hub, Ooredoo has aligned its strategic initiatives with national priorities.

He said, “Qatar is creating a platform where innovation meeting opportunities. At Ooredoo, we know that we are at the forefront of delivering that vision from the early days, and we continue investing or adopting advanced technology and investing in our resilience and infrastructure,” Sheikh Ali noted.

Sheikh Ali also emphasised that Ooredoo Qatar has strategically positioned itself to support the country’s digital agenda through smart cities, digital health, and educational technology advancements, among other various initiatives.

Kosta underscored that Google Cloud’s investment in Qatar represents “another significant pillar” in this collaborative ecosystem, highlighting the milestone achievement of opening “the first region for Google Cloud in the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa from Qatar” in May 2023.

Both executives highlighted how AI and data analytics are transforming Ooredoo-Google Cloud partnerships with Kosta sharing several examples, including a collaboration with Ooredoo that involved “moving its full data lake to Google Cloud and leveraging our AI and data analytics platform to gain more insights about the customer needs.”

He said another significant project was the ‘Qatar Art Beat’ initiative, launched during Qatar National Day in partnership with MediaCity.

Kosta explained that the AI-powered project captured citizens’ sentiments about their nation and generated an artwork that earned a Guinness World Record for “the most interactive impressions for an AI-generated artwork.”

Sheikh Ali explained the distinction between data and AI, noting that while Ooredoo has always handled large amounts of data, partnerships with technology leaders have unlocked new value.

He said, “When we start leveraging through partnering with the right technology leaders, through adopting the advanced analytic data tools and machine learning from our guys in Google, the same data that we used to process it before, we unlock a huge opportunity.”

Sheikh Ali also announced Ooredoo’s recent AI initiatives, including the ‘O-Bot’, an AI chatbot powered by Microsoft designed to provide real-time customer support, as well as a “first in the region” – Ooredoo’s new deviceless TV approach with embedded AI, which will replace its old set-up box.

The panel discussion acknowledged that technological advancement requires a skilled workforce.

Kosta spoke about Google Cloud’s commitment to talent development through its Centre of Excellence inside the Qatar Free Zone, which has trained over 6,000 participants between 2021 and 2024.

He further said Google Cloud has also launched an overseas internship programme with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), sending 16 Qatari professionals to Google’s Dublin facilities for a three-month training programme.

Concluding the discussion, Sheikh Ali called for Qatar to “maintain all whatever brought our success today” while continuing to “embrace animation, strategic partnership, and the need to invest in talent and infrastructure.”

Reaffirming the critical importance of partnerships, Kosta added: “The power of partnership is crucial and beneficial for Qatar’s future and growth. It’s all about unlocking innovation and driving success.”

Ends