JEDDAH — The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones named Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, as ambassador of “Saudi Tech Hub”.

Saudi advisor in the Royal Court, head of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones Saud Bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani revealed this while handing out certificates during the final day of Hajj Hackathon competitions, which ended Friday here, Saudi Press Agency said.

Al-Qahtani said that Wozniak’s selection comes within the framework of the federation’s keenness to attract the best minds in the technology sector in Saudi Arabia, in order to make the Kingdom the technology hub in the region.

He added: “Perhaps the biggest evidence of the scale of these technical transformations in today’s world is that a company such as Apple, which we were happy that its participating founder accepted to be Ambassador of the Saudi Technical Hub, has become the first public company in the world with a market value of one trillion dollars.

“In addition the huge interest generated among the youth in technical and technological sectors bodes well on the general plans of the state, as it is one of the main objectives pursued by the Kingdom in its Vision 2030 under the supervision and follow-up and direct support of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.”

The chairman of the federation expressed his sincere thanks to Wozniak — whom he described as one of the most important minds that changed the history of the world — for his enthusiasm and acceptance of the position.

Wozniak expressed his happiness at accepting this position as Ambassador of the Saudi Technical Hub, pointing out that what prompted him to accept the position, was the remarkable development he noticed in Saudi Arabia’s approach to the world of technology, which strengthens the great vision of the Kingdom.

The stress on the technical sector, which is a source of enthusiasm for the project undertaken by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, is a huge future project with a new and changing vision for a world filled with changes every day.

The success of the Hajj Hackathon gives serious indications of the interest among Saudis in programming and emerging technologies, he said, adding, “There is a great chance that Saudi Arabia will be an important player in the evolving and changing technology community and that it will soon be the main gateway to the Tech Hub in the region.”

Wozniak said that Vision 2030 is fascinating and that he is a fan and follower of the NEOM project in particular, which he described as an amazing idea.

“This is a remarkable success story in Saudi Arabia that can be written in the near future and will be an example to be followed internationally,” Wozniak said

He said, “I will be a supporter of this by being an Ambassador of the Saudi Tech Hub, while supporting to the Saudi Federation.”

The appointment of Wozniak as the Ambassador of the Saudi Tech Hub, will provide the impetus for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 in its technical aspects, as well as the alignment between the Saudi technical needs and the latest developments in the world. – SPA