The three-day forum on Industrial Information and Statistics in the Arab Countries organized by the (NCSI) in association with the Arab industrial Development and Mining Organization (AIDMO) and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) commenced at the Council of Oman.
The forum, which opened under the auspices of Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Board Chairman of NCSI, has as its major theme "The Role of Statistical Information in Decision-Making". More than 80 participants representing various Arab Ministries and bodies across industries, energy and mineral wealth, statistical agencies, information technology and investment, as well as universities and institutions of higher education in the Arab countries, and government and private institutions in the industrial and statistical information sectors are attending the forum. In his address, Khalid bin Said Al Mudhafar, Director General of Economic Statistics at NCSI, said the Arab countries are witnessing unprecedented developments in the field of statistical data and various indicators. He highlighted the growing need for new indicators and data to bridge the existing knowledge gap and meet the requirements of various agencies and institutions.
Mohammed bin Said Al Yaqoubi from ISESCO said that the forum is held as a means to encourage active participation by Arab countries in the field of information technology and statistics towards optimising the use of information and statistics and making such data available for decision-makers and beneficiaries at various local, regional and international levels. It also aims at bringing greater focus on knowledge economy and developing research and development in the field. The forum also looks at the need to enhance communication between not only the Member States and Islamic countries but between all countries of the world. Eng Adel Al Saqr, the Director-General of AIDMO, in his speech noted that the most important challenges facing statistical agencies in the Arab world today is ensuring the quality of information and the speed of providing the same. High priority must be assigned to develop information systems that can facilitate the extraction of statistical information, which can be used in framing development policies and in decision making, apart from specialised scientific research in various fields to ensure Arab world's progress and prosperity.
As many as 14 working papers were presented on the first day of the forum. The first session, entitled "Mega Data in Decision-Making," reviewed the role of data in the fourth industrial revolution and the role of mega data in smart decision-making through innovative ideas that can transform the Middle East into a knowledge-based economy. The second session, entitled "Cloud Computing and Industrial and Statistical Information Systems," reviewed the statistical analysis capabilities of the Islamic Cooperation Organisation as well as the status of cloud computing and development of industrial and statistical information in industry through cloud computing. The Forum will also discuss the use of industrial statistics in the Internet of Things, mobile applications, geographic systems in industry and statistics and the role of industrial information in the knowledge economy, legislation and laws, the protection of open statistical data and information exchange, among others. He appreciated the efforts by the AIDMO, ISESCO and Microsoft Corp. for their initiative and role in supporting the forum designed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences among the Arab countries so as to enhance statistical work in the Arab States. Ramez Dandan from Microsoft Corp. thanked the Sultanate represented by NCSI for organizing the forum, which will help strengthen the role of statistics in supporting key decision making.
Adel Al Sager, the Director-General of AIDMO spoke on digital revolution and the significant changes it brought about in our lives at the social, economic and cultural levels. Economic growth is now linked to a large extent to the ability of countries to cope with this rapid digital development, especially in the field of information and communication technology, he said. He expressed his gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, may God protect him, for the great support extended by the Sultanate towards AIDMO.
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