Muscat, Sept 26 - The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR) technologies have “begun to invade the world” and we have to adopt and benefit from them, Dr Salim bin Sultan al Ruzaiqi, the CEO of Information Technology Authority (ITA), has said. Speaking during a discussion on economic and commercial opportunities available in the Sultanate for the establishment of startups in the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he said these sessions were aimed at “understanding how the future will be shaped under 4th IR and its repercussions on all aspects of life”.
He said opportunities are available both in the local and regional markets, and young people can innovate solutions that are applicable anywhere.
“It is important to establish a connection with young innovators to produce digital applications and solutions for the world,” said Dr Al Ruzaiqi.
The ITA had organised the discussion. It was aimed at seeking public opinion on developing attractive commercial and investment environment for the emergence of businesses in the industry of technologies.
It was also aimed at encouraging Omani entrepreneurs to start commercial activities in the field of 4th IR technologies.
Held at the Sas Center for Mobile Apps Development, the discussion saw participation from Dr Salim bin Sultan al Ruzaiqi; Dr Khalid al Tahhan, CEO of Blockchain Oman Solutions & Services, Omar Alabd, Microsoft Technology Partner Strategist, and Khalid al Huraibi, CEO, Impact. A large number of Omani youth and entrepreneurs also took part.
The session discussed three main topics: economic and commercial opportunities resulting from the fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, Omani experiences in the field of this revolution technologies and supporting commercial investment environments.
Omar Alabd said the 4th IR is currently entering all fields. “We will be ready for it if we start right. In order to benefit from the opportunities offered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, young people must research and think about some of the problems that hinder society development, and then embark on creating innovative solutions.”
Khalid al Huraibi said “as data is the backbone of revolution, we can derive the advantage by exploiting the opportunities offered by 4th IR because we produce huge amounts of data”.
Dr Khalid al Tahhan said the preparation for 4th IR requires two things: education, which should enrich young people’s minds with technologies; and to build on the current available skillsets of developers and IT talents.
“We have to be proactive in capacity-building as the opportunities offered by 4th IR are greater today, but tomorrow, they will be fewer. So, we need to grasp these opportunities,” he said.
Zainab al Nassri
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