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CEO of GSMA Ltd John Hoffman emphasised that the MWC25 Doha Conference constitutes an exceptional platform to highlight the technological development taking place in the region and to enhance its position as a key driver of regional and international digital transformation.In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Hoffman said that Qatar is currently an ideal location to showcase progress in the ICT sector and advanced technology in general. Government support, strategic vision, and a commitment to innovation are key factors in the success of the technology ecosystem, which contributes to the success of the conference. He pointed out that organising this global event at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center reflects a high level of readiness and professionalism, especially with the showcasing of the latest technologies, along with active government participation and an intensive presence of global thought leaders and decision-makers, as well as the ministerial programme that brings together ministers and officials from various countries around the world to discuss policies that support the flourishing of technology.He indicated that the GSMA committed to organising the event in Doha for five years, believing that the region will continue to grow as a major communications and technology hub, especially since more than 50% of 5G communications are concentrated in this region, in addition to the expansion in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data and advanced digital infrastructure.He also stressed that Doha forms a complementary link to the global events route of MWC, which began in Barcelona, ​​then Shanghai and Kigali, before concluding in Qatar. This reflects a strategic integration that enhances the global presence and highlights the region as a rising power in the field of technology. He considered the accompanying exhibition a global platform for showcasing innovation and promoting co-operation between startups and major institutions, as more than 100 startup projects are participating this year to present ideas and technical solutions, which contributes to supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem and establishing an environment that stimulates creativity.He highlighted the role of the GSMA in uniting international efforts to bridge the digital usage gap, noting that around three billion people around the world are still outside the mobile Internet system despite the availability of coverage, as the association works with various partners to facilitate access to technology and reduce digital inequality.Concluding his remarks, John Hoffman noted the importance of local partnerships in the success of MWC, praising the co-operation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center and all partners from operators and infrastructure providers to achieve sustainable success. 

Reem Mohammed al-Mansoori, who serves as Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Community Development at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, affirmed that the digital economy represents the future of growth, and that the State of Qatar is working to diversify its economy and enhance the contribution of the ICT sector to GDP, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.Speaking during a session on designing the experiences economy at the MWC25 Conference in Doha, al-Mansoori said that the national digital transformation strategy for the next five years has set a clear target of having the ICT sector contribute 4 percent to GDP growth. She noted that the national digital agenda has laid the foundation for achieving an experience economy and creating a new generation of services based on data and artificial intelligence.She highlighted that Qatar has given high priority to AI technologies, launching a national strategy to build an infrastructure for sovereign AI, in addition to developing smart services across key sectors. She pointed to the completion of digital transformation roadmaps in infrastructure, tourism, healthcare, transportation, and logistics.Al-Mansoori added that the State of Qatar has successfully developed a highly advanced national digital platform based on cloud infrastructure, after attracting global cloud providers such as Google and Microsoft to establish data centres capable of supporting various sectors and enabling them to deliver digital solutions more quickly and efficiently.Regarding the sports sector, the Assistant Undersecretary explained that it was among the priority sectors for digital transformation in recent years. The ministry worked with partners to develop an integrated digital ecosystem that contributed to the success of the fan experience during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, through visitor-tracking systems, smart guidance applications, and fan engagement platforms.She said that the digital legacy of the World Cup has been capitalised on and developed within the tourism strategy, which aims to attract 6mn visitors annually and achieve QR34bn in tourism spending by 2030.She noted that the State of Qatar is redesigning its tourism-service ecosystem to deliver a comprehensive and innovative experience for visitors and residents, within the framework of the experience economy.On the development of digital skills, she underlined that the biggest global challenge lies in attracting talent. She noted that the Digital Agenda 2030 aims to create 26,000 new jobs in the digital economy, which requires collaboration with the education ecosystem, talent reskilling, and the launch of new programmes to attract specialists, including the recently announced digital-talent visa.In concluding her remarks al-Mansoori stressed that economic prosperity is the true measure of digital transformation success. She emphasised that every technological project or investment in the country must contribute to improving quality of life, supporting economic growth, and achieving Qatar’s long-term vision.

Huawei Qatar hosted the 'Innovation in Education and Talent Excellence Awards', an event dedicated to honouring the accomplishments of students from Qatar in the global ICT Competition and presenting the latest advancements in educational technology.The event brought together prominent figures from Qatar's academic and government sectors, including Dr Salem al-Naemi, president of the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST); Dr Btool Hashim al-Sayed, director of The Higher Education Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education; partners, deans and faculty members from Qatar University (QU), UDST, Community college of Qatar (CCQ), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and Lusail University.In his welcome address, Alex Dai, executive vice-president of Huawei Gulf North, said: “At Huawei, we believe investing in human potential is the nation's most strategic investment. We are proud to partner with Qatar to nurture its next generation of digital leaders, equipping them with cutting-edge skills and platforms to innovate—like the brilliant UDST students who recently made the nation proud. Together, we are building the ICT talent that will lead Qatar’s digital future."Dr al-Sayed stressed the importance of such collaborations by describing that the student accomplishments embody the very essence of Qatar National Vision 2030, which places innovation and knowledge at the heart of sustainable development."This success was made possible through strong collaboration between our academic institutions, government, and industry partners—a model that fosters the innovation ecosystem Qatar is building. Our leadership encourages applying knowledge in real-world contexts, transforming ideas into solutions that drive progress and diversify our economy for a prosperous future."Dr Rachid Benlamri, vice president - academics of UDST, highlighted the value of industry-academia synergy. "Events such as the Huawei ICT skills Competition-Innovation track provide our students with a global platform to showcase their talents while demonstrating the powerful results of academia-industry collaboration in building Qatar's knowledge-based economy."Huawei's experts led sessions on the latest emerging trends shaping the future of education. The presentations highlighted Huawei's advanced education technologies and innovative approaches to creating next-generation learning environments, emphasising the critical role of robust digital infrastructure in enabling transformative educational experiences. The discussions focused on building technology-enabled learning ecosystems that support innovation and enhance educational outcomes.The ceremony also recognised students from Qatar who excelled in the National and Regional competition and celebrated the outstanding achievements of UDST students’ team who has secured second place in the Innovation Track of the Huawei ICT Competition 2024–2025 Global Final, held in Shenzhen, China in May 2025. Competing against over 40 teams from around the world, the UDST team represented Qatar on the global stage, making the nation proud through their groundbreaking project titled 'Be My Sense'.The Huawei ICT Competition is one of the world’s largest and most competitive technology contests, celebrating its 10th edition this year. The 2024–2025 event attracted more than 210,000 students from over 80 countries, culminating in a highly selective Global Final where 179 teams from 48 countries competed in various tracks including Network, Cloud, Computing, and Innovation.Additional highlights featured insights on the synergy between academia and industry. Prof Mohamed Abdallah, associate dean of Undergraduate Studies and Quality Assurance at the College of Science and Engineering at HBKU, underscored that while basic science forms the essential 'brain' of education—providing the critical thinking and foundational knowledge—integrating industry-certified courses on the latest technologies is crucial for ensuring graduates are career-ready.Academic leaders from QU and CCQ emphasised on the importance of modernising curricula through strategic partnerships to include applied learning modules that keep pace with the digital economy.This was complemented by a presentation from AI department at Al Jazeera Media Network, which detailed their recent AI Hackathon, delivered in collaboration with Huawei Cloud. The media leader highlighted the hackathon's immense success not just as a competition, but as a vital talent pipeline and a practical model for innovation.