Qatar among top 10 app developers in Gulf, says Strategy& Middle East

Qatar is one among the top 10 improvers in terms of growth in the number of apps published; suggesting that local output in the Gulf region’s digital innovation is increasing rapidly, according to a report of Strategy& Middle East.Qatar witnessed the highest growth of 41% in the number of apps published between 2010 and 2018 and was ranked second, said the report, quoting App Annie data."Three GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council) countries — Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia — are among the top 10 improvers in terms of growth in number of apps published," the report said, adding the GCC economies could add between $138bn and $255bn to regional gross domestic product (GDP), depending upon how far they advanced.As per the App Annie data, the UAE was in the third position with it reporting 37% growth in the number of apps published during the review period and Saudi Arabia ranked ninth with 24% growth.Finding that the GCC countries have recorded strong digital sector growth over the last decade, the report said the GCC countries now need to take vigorous policy actions if they are to move from being mostly adopters of digital technologies to becoming disruptors hosting powerful local companies, institutions, and talent.The Strategy& Middle East digital economy index (DEI) is an evidence based tool that provides a comprehensive review of the digital maturity of 109 countries between 2010 and 2020. The index is based on 86 indicators grouped into five pillars of foundation, talent, innovation, adoption and local production.According to the DEI, the GCC countries need more digital talent, innovation, and domestically produced digital products and services if they are to play a role in global digital markets over the medium term.As per the DEI ranking, within the GCC region, Qatar was ranked 41, Saudi Arabia (44) and the UAE (48).The report found that the digital economy contributed only 11% to Qatar's gross domestic product or GDP, while it was 49% in Saudi Arabia, 26% in the UAE, 5% in Oman and 3% in Bahrain.It also said the GCC countries are not producing enough local digital talent mainly because of limited preparation of high school graduates for university-level STEM disciplines.The average PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) test score is 386 in Saudi Arabia, 411 in Qatar, and 433 in the UAE. This compares with 525 in Estonia, 556 in Singapore, and 578 in China.Also, there is a paucity of digital specialists in the job market. The proportion of AI (artificial intelligence) specialists in the GCC countries is an average of 1.7% of the total workforce compared with 5.4% in the European Union and 6.9% in Singapore.