Abdullah Alswaha

Abdullah Alswaha studied first at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where he graduated with a degree in computer science and communications engineering, and then at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he gained a degree in computer science. He went on to complete the Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.[1]

Alswaha began his career in 2005 at Cisco Saudi Arabia, becoming director of operations and overseeing the development of the company's systems engineering, public sector, commercial, service provider and channel operations. In May 2016, he was appointed managing director.[1]

In April 2017, Abdullah Alswaha replaced Dr Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Suweil as the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology.[2] His ministry's primary role is to upgrade Saudi Arabia's ICT infrastructure as part of the country's Vision 2030 programme, including a commitment to increase broadband coverage to 70% in rural areas. It is also responsible for initiatives to train more Saudi nationals in specialist roles within the ICT sector.[3]

At the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh in October 2017, Alswaha announced a partnership between his ministry, the philanthropic organisation MiSK, and the Mohammed bin Salman College for Business and Entrepreneurship to put young local entrepreneurs and start-ups through a one-year training programme with big tech partners from the US and Europe.[4] The same month he announced that Saudi Post, the government-operated postal system, would enter a five-year ‘corporatization phase’ before full privatization.[5]

He has previously affirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to business-friendly policy and has called for greater empowerment of women in the kingdom as part of the push to modernize its economy and workforce.[6][7][8]

At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2018 Alswaha outlined Saudi Arabia's digital vision, announcing spending of $3 billion to roll out a nationwide 5G network and connect two million homes with high speed fiber optic.[9]

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Alsawaha announced that in the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is planning to be a leading digital market in the Middle East and South Africa regions. Moreover, with the annual budget of $22 billion in the digital and IT sector, Saudi Arabia has become of the top ranked digital markets worldwide.[10]

• Cabinet Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
• Chairman of G20 Preparatory Committee
• Chairman of G20 Digital Economic Task Force

• Chairman of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC);[1][11]
• Chairman of Saudi Post and Executive Chairman of the National Digitization Committee
• Chairman of National Committee for Digital Transformation
• Board Member, Misk Foundation
• Board Member, NEOM City
• Board Member, Council of Economic and Development Affairs
• Board Member, Economic Cities Authority
• Board Member, World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Global Network Advisory

Abdullah Alswaha formerly held other positions, including member of the Technology Advisory Board at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University (PMU). He was also the founder of the Social Entrepreneurship Incubator, which supports entrepreneurs to develop solutions in the fields of healthcare and education.