RIYADH — SAP AG, the German world leader in enterprise software and software-related services, announced in Dubai that it would open an institute in the Eastern Province to qualify young Saudis for employment in IT. Sam Al-Kharrat, managing director of SAP in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, told Saudi Gazette: "This will be the second institute for SAP after the one already existing in Dubai, and it is part of the company's Mawarid initiative to create a pool of SAP products, services, solutions and human resources in the region to be mobilized for employment right away when needs arise in the region." He said the move to establish the institute is a manifestation of his company's increasing commitment to developing human resources and respond to its clients and potential clients not only in the Kingdom, but also in the wider MENA region. "Also, the opening of the institute in the Kingdom shows the importance of Saudi Arabia to SAP and indicates steady expansion of its business in the country." Al-Kharrat also discussed another initiative launched by SAP some time ago called "University Alliance" that targets young Saudis. He said: "The initiative targets college students in MENA region, in particular the Kingdom, by making SAP technologies, products and applications part of their curricula. “University participants in this initiative has risen to over 50, with 18 of them in the Kingdom, while there were only five in the region a few years ago.” Discussing his company's participation in GITEX Technology Week 2013 in Dubai, SAP Saudi Arabia's Managing Director Ahmed Al-Faifi told Saudi Gazette that his company has intensified its investment in this year's event. He said: “Our participation has strongly focused on m-Government (mobile government), cloud storage, in-memory computing and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). “With the event's opening announcement by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum that the UAE is moving toward a mobile government, the ability to provide new, highly-connected, scalable and adaptable solutions for government entities across the region is more pressing than ever. “SAP is proud to already be making a difference in this hugely exciting and game-changing space and we have big plans moving forward.” Senior SAP executive Luis Murguia, addressing a SAP SMEs summit in Istanbul, Turkey, last month re-emphasized his group's commitment to train Saudi youth in the IT field. The summit attracted mainly senior officials of SAP, its partners and customers as well as experts from major countries to discuss the main themes of the summit: Youth Unemployment and Enhancing SMEs in the Mena region. Murguia also re-emphasized SAP's commitment not only in training youth, but in also in developing SMEs in Saudi Arabia in a thrust to unlock new routes to innovation and competitiveness.
