BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. Azerbaijan's Digital Academy made another visit to Saudi Arabia by the initiative of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) in partnership with Germany's Hertie School University, a source in IDDA told Trend.
Representatives of Azerbaijani state institutions and leading experts in digitalization from Saudi Arabia participated in the session titled “Digital transformation and efficiency in the public sector”.
The visit focused on learning Saudi Arabia’s experience regarding its digital transformation strategy and the activities carried out in developing a competitive digital ecosystem. During the meetings, detailed information was provided about Azerbaijan’s digital development approach and solutions, and discussions were held on the prospects of cooperation that would involve applying Azerbaijan’s experience in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the two-day program, a familiarization tour was conducted to the newly established Innovation Hub under the Digital Government Authority (DGA) of Saudi Arabia. At the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), research and innovation initiatives were discussed, as well as regulatory frameworks, policy, and decision-making mechanisms.
Additionally, meetings were held at the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). The meeting at KAPSARC was attended by the center's president, Fahad Alajlan, and Shahin Abdullayev, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Saudi Arabia. Discussions were also held with sector experts and executives at KAPSARC. The discussions focused extensively on topics such as digital transformation in the energy sector, digitalization policies in state-owned companies, and the application of artificial intelligence.
During the visit, Deputy Chairman of IDDA, Shahin Aliyev, said that result-oriented discussions had been conducted to promote digital experience exchange between the two countries. He also emphasized that Saudi Arabia had shown interest in several of Azerbaijan's digital solutions, particularly Digital Document Circulation.
“We had productive discussions with our Saudi counterparts. There is great interest in our digital solutions, especially in Digital Document Circulation. We will continue our cooperation in this direction going forward,” Aliyev added.
To note, 70 senior personnel from 43 state institutions — including deputy ministers, deputy heads of state bodies, and advisers — have participated so far in the strategic sessions and visits of the Digital Academy. As a continuation of this initiative, a number of visits have been carried out under the program. Visits were made to Germany (Berlin) on January 27–28, 2025, and to Singapore on April 10–11, 2025, with the participation of senior officials.
