By Ron Chen, Senior Correspondent ASEAN Region

The Saudi Federation For Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP), a national institution that aims to empower the local workforce and enhance their capabilities in the fields of Cybersecurity, Software Development, Drones, and Advanced Technologies based on the best international practices, has signed on March 14, 2022, a Memorandum of Cooperation for a strategic partnership with the Middle East and Africa region’s leading value-added distributor Spire Solutions known for introducing some of the world’s best cybersecurity technologies to the region.

The official partnership signing ceremony was attended by member of the SAFCSP Board of Directors and General Supervisor of Cybersecurity Eng. Mohammed Alshamrani, Mr. Hamad Alaqeel, Spire’s Founder and President Mr. Sanjeev Walia, Chief Revenue Officer Mr. Mohieddin Kharnoub, Chief Growth Officer Mr. Naveen Bharadwaj, and some other employees from both the organizations.

This strategic partnership aims to support and nurture Saudi youth throughout the year by:

1.       Providing a series of short courses on some of the latest cybersecurity technologies as part of CyberHub.

2.       Motivating them with real-life stories of successful people in the cybersecurity domain as part of Cyber Nights.

3.       Facilitating internships at leading technology companies focusing on cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and more.

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Alshamrani said “One of the fundamental enablers of our goals at SAFCSP is partnerships with the industry as it’s crucial to bridge our youth with the industry frequently to learn latest trends and techniques needed to pursue a career in the technology and cybersecurity space. We are happy to partner with a regional leader like Spire Solutions to support various initiatives that we have created keeping in line with our youth vision.”

Congratulating the Kingdom for its tremendous progress with digital transformation in line with Saudi Vision 2030, Mr. Walia said “Statistics show that almost 70 per cent of the Saudi population is under the age of 35 – that’s a huge, motivated, and tech-savvy talent pool. We are honored to collaborate with SAFCSP and are committed to doing our part in enhancing the knowledge and skills of young professionals in areas such as Cybersecurity, Data, AI, ML, and more. We consider it a privilege to be able to contribute to the Kingdom’s goals of being a secure digital-driven economy and aim to provide these young professionals a platform for exposure to the real-world experience.”

*Editor’s Note: This report updates the one published yesterday.