MODERNISATION efforts now under way in Saudi Arabia will soon place the kingdom among the world’s most competitive nations.

Henning Kagermann, CEO of Sap calls economic reforms in the Kingdom critical to its long-term economic success and global competitiveness.
The director general of Saudi Arabia’s General Investment Authority (Sagia) has long said that its mission is to see the country hold a place in the ‘top 10 most competitive countries’ by 2010, as ranked by the World Bank.
Sap currently operates offices in Riyadh and Khobar, but crucially, has created an extensive ecosystem of partners to serve the company’s growing customer base in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Sap is investing in Saudi Arabia because it makes strong economic sense,” says Kagermann, whose company employs more than 43,000 people worldwide to service an estimated 46,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries and countries.
“Beyond the energy sector where Sap has a long and rich history supporting the growth and global expansion of Saudi Aramco, we believe that Sap is a key enabler of innovation in all sectors, innovation that is crucial to sustained economic growth and the creation of wealth,” adds Kagermann.
Kagermann says successful public and private organisations that are able to rapidly innovate, share many common characteristics. Firstly, they consolidate their IT to reduce cost and unnecessary duplication. Secondly, they standardise on software and systems. Thirdly, they build their business processes on platforms that allow for interoperability and information sharing along their value networks.