The Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafy, affirmed during the First Annual Arab Forum on Artificial Intelligence, in the session “The Role of the Arab Private Sector and Businessmen in Implementing the Arab Initiative for Artificial Intelligence,” held on August 27, 2025, in New Alamein City – Arab Republic of Egypt, that “the Arab Initiative for Artificial Intelligence represents a strategic lever for achieving digital transformation and enhancing the competitiveness of Arab economies. According to PwC estimates, artificial intelligence applications could add approximately $320 billion to the Middle East’s GDP by 2030, which is equivalent to about 2 percent of the total global expected benefits from this technology.”
He explained that “the importance of the initiative is not limited to economic figures only, but also extends to creating new job opportunities, strengthening food and energy security, supporting research and development, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thus, the Arab Initiative for Artificial Intelligence is not merely a technical project, but rather a driver of sustainable economic growth, contributing to building a competitive Arab digital economy capable of absorbing global transformations and employing them for the benefit of comprehensive development.”
The Secretary General of the Union considered that “the Arab private sector constitutes a fundamental pillar in activating the Arab Initiative for Artificial Intelligence, not only through financing but also through investing in innovation, adopting digital solutions, and establishing cross-border partnerships. World Bank estimates indicate that more than 85 percent of new job opportunities in the Arab region are generated by small and medium-sized enterprises, which makes their involvement in the path of artificial intelligence an urgent necessity to achieve wide impact.”
He noted that “the role of the private sector is not limited to investment only, but also includes: building international technological partnerships to transfer knowledge and localize technology; financing research and development (R&D) in universities and Arab innovation centers to ensure the creation of a sustainable innovation environment; and nurturing talents through training and capacity building to bridge the digital skills gap, which is estimated at 2 million unfilled digital jobs in the Arab region by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum.”
Dr. Khaled Hanafy stressed that “the private sector, with its flexibility and readiness to take risks, is the indispensable partner in implementing the Arab Initiative for Artificial Intelligence, ensuring that it transforms from an ambitious vision into a tangible reality that enhances the Arab digital economy and serves sustainable development.” He clarified that “the Arab Chambers of Commerce, together with the Union of Arab Chambers, represent the broader institutional framework capable of unifying the voice of the Arab private sector and directing its energies toward implementing the Arab Initiative for Artificial Intelligence. The Union of Arab Chambers constitutes the largest joint Arab economic network, and it is qualified to be: a platform for regional coordination between governments and businessmen to promote the adoption of AI-supportive policies; a bridge for Arab-international integration through strategic partnerships with global chambers of commerce, opening the way for technology transfer and localization; and an incubator for startups through joint financing initiatives and business acceleration programs, drawing on the chambers’ experience in supporting more than 60 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Arab world. In this way, the Union of Arab Chambers becomes the collective driver that ensures the Arab Initiative for Artificial Intelligence transforms into an integrated project, leveraging the strength of the private sector and translating it into real projects that contribute to sustainable economic growth and the building of a competitive Arab digital economy.”
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
