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MENA Digital Economy Set To Hit $400 Billion By 2030
Education and health technology sectors alone are forecast to reach a combined market size of $20 billion by 2030.
Although COVID-19 sent shockwaves through brick-and-mortar retail businesses and decimated the travel industry, the world’s digital economy actually reaped enormous benefits from lockdowns and reduced movement.
According to newly released data, the digital economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are now estimated to be worth an incredible $400 billion by 2030.
To reach the enormous milestone in under ten years, the entire region’s economy will need to undergo rapid transformation. Sectors including food, travel and bill payment have declined in recent years. However, health and education technology appear to be booming — though predictably, online retail is driving much of the growth, increasing at a rate of 20% per year alone.
According to the report, Generation Z will fuel a great deal of the decade’s growth, and the expansion of EdTech services will require significant skill development, with schools and higher education institutions adding new technology-focused courses to their curriculums.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia To Send First Female Astronaut Into Space By 2023
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have already significantly contributed to the region’s global digital expansion. Future growth is anticipated to be more evenly spread among the MENA countries, as the two leading nations currently account for half of the area’s total digital economy.
According to the new survey, the rest of the MENA region is improving in its rate of digital adoption, with the time spent on digital channels now nearing 8 hours per day, which is a figure similar to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth
The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.