The project focuses on reducing risks to communities and restoring safer living conditions in areas affected by unexploded devices.

During the past week, trained teams successfully removed 1,181 explosive devices from different parts of the country.

These items included unexploded ordnance, landmines, and other hazardous remnants that posed ongoing dangers to everyday life.

The clearance operations covered a wide geographic area, reaching governorates such as Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale, and Saada.

These regions include residential zones, rural communities, and key routes used by civilians and aid workers.

Unexploded devices often remain hidden in fields, roads, and near homes long after conflicts subside.

Their presence restricts movement, disrupts livelihoods, and creates long-term safety concerns for families.

The demining initiative prioritizes locations where civilians are most vulnerable, including villages, schools, and access roads.

By clearing these areas, the project supports safer travel and helps communities regain access to essential services.

Since its launch in 2018, the program has cleared more than 531,000 explosive devices across Yemen.

This cumulative effort reflects years of sustained work by specialized teams operating under challenging conditions.

A key component of the project is its focus on local capacity building.

Yemeni demining engineers are trained to international standards and equipped with modern tools to carry out their work safely and effectively.

Training programs emphasize technical skills, safety procedures, and careful identification of different explosive types.

This approach ensures that local teams can continue clearance operations with professionalism and confidence.

In addition to removing hazardous devices, the initiative provides assistance to individuals injured by explosives.

Support includes medical aid and rehabilitation resources aimed at helping affected people rebuild their lives.

Explosive remnants of war often have long-term humanitarian consequences, particularly for children and farmers.

Accidental encounters can result in injuries that affect families and communities for years.

By addressing these risks, demining operations contribute to broader recovery and stability efforts.

Cleared land can be reused for housing, agriculture, and infrastructure development.

The project also plays an important role in enabling humanitarian access.

Safe roads and cleared areas allow aid organizations to deliver food, medicine, and other essential supplies more efficiently.

Demining teams work methodically, surveying land before carefully neutralizing and removing devices.

Each operation follows strict safety protocols to protect both workers and nearby residents.

Community awareness is another important element of the initiative.

Local residents are informed about risks and encouraged to report suspected explosive hazards.

This cooperation between demining teams and communities improves effectiveness and builds trust.

It also helps ensure that cleared areas remain safe over time.

The ongoing work highlights the importance of humanitarian-focused mine clearance in post-conflict environments.

Removing explosive threats is a crucial step toward restoring normalcy and supporting long-term development.

While challenges remain, continued clearance efforts bring tangible improvements to daily life.

Families can move more freely, children can attend school safely, and farmers can return to their land.

Overall, the demining project represents a sustained humanitarian commitment.

Its focus on safety, training, and community support contributes to reducing harm and promoting recovery.

Recognized as the world’s largest hackathon, the three-day event reflected a national commitment to innovation, creativity, and practical digital solutions aligned with public sector transformation.

Organized by the Ministry of Interior in partnership with Tuwaiq Academy, the hackathon brought together thousands of participants eager to contribute to the Kingdom’s evolving digital ecosystem.

Finalist teams represented a wide range of ideas, technical strengths, and problem-solving approaches, highlighting the diversity and maturity of Saudi Arabia’s technology talent pool.

The competition offered prizes totaling SR1 million, reinforcing the value placed on innovation while encouraging participants to pursue excellence and real-world impact.

Beyond prize money, the initiative emphasized long-term growth by offering structured support to help teams refine and commercialize their digital solutions.

Additional backing from the National Technology Development Program provided financial and strategic assistance to promising teams ready to scale their ideas.

Incubation opportunities through innovation labs enabled finalists to move from prototype development to market-ready products with professional guidance.

Officials noted that participation exceeded expectations, with more than 4,000 innovators joining from all regions of the Kingdom.

This strong turnout reflected rising national enthusiasm for technology, entrepreneurship, and digital problem-solving across generations.

Participants ranged from students to experienced professionals, illustrating the inclusive nature of Saudi Arabia’s innovation landscape.

The hackathon was designed around focused technology tracks to ensure relevance, depth, and alignment with national priorities.

These tracks included digital identity and security, artificial intelligence for predictive safety, Internet of Things solutions for field operations, and service enhancement for digital platforms.

This structured approach enabled participants to develop advanced concepts comparable to international technology competitions.

Throughout the event, participants benefited from extensive training programs delivered by leading global technology partners.

Workshops and mentoring sessions helped sharpen technical skills, foster collaboration, and expose participants to global best practices.

Organizers emphasized that the true value of the hackathon lies in its ability to translate creative thinking into practical tools that benefit society.

Innovations developed during the event aim to improve services for citizens, residents, and visitors while strengthening digital trust and efficiency.

The hackathon also served as a talent discovery platform, with standout participants gaining visibility among national and regional technology companies.

This connection between innovation and employment strengthens the broader technology ecosystem and supports sustainable workforce development.

Observers noted that such initiatives align closely with Saudi Arabia’s long-term vision for a knowledge-based economy.

The hackathon forms part of a wider national program designed to expand digital skills and innovation capacity across multiple cities.

Future initiatives under the Absher Tuwaiq umbrella are expected to engage tens of thousands of participants across diverse technical fields.

By fostering collaboration between government, academia, and industry, the program reinforces an integrated approach to digital transformation.

The upcoming Absher Conference will further highlight national innovations and strengthen international partnerships.

As Saudi Arabia positions itself as a global technology hub, events like this play a critical role in shaping talent, confidence, and ambition.

The scale and professionalism of the hackathon underscore the Kingdom’s readiness to compete on the global innovation stage.

Participants left the event with enhanced skills, expanded networks, and renewed motivation to contribute to national progress.

The success of the hackathon signals a future where Saudi-developed digital solutions play a leading role regionally and globally.

With continued investment and collaboration, the Kingdom’s tech ecosystem is poised for sustained growth and international recognition.

According to the Digital Economy Navigator, a global framework measuring digital maturity, Saudi Arabia scored 91.2 in digital health and education and 83.1 in workforce training. These high scores underline the Kingdom’s commitment to integrating advanced technologies into education, healthcare, and professional training programs, benefiting citizens across the country.

Alaa Abdulaal, chief of digital economy foresight at the Riyadh-based Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), told Arab News that the Kingdom is among the fastest transforming digital economies worldwide. She highlighted that Saudi Arabia is performing particularly well in digital education, digital health, and workforce development, and is considered a frontier country in terms of maturity across these pillars.

“The Kingdom is doing very well in digital education and digital health, as well as in digital work and training,” Abdulaal said, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement in these sectors. She added that the Digital Economy Navigator not only measures progress but also provides guidance to identify strengths and areas requiring further development.

Saudi Arabia’s strong foundation in digital regulation has supported its rapid transformation, Abdulaal noted. The Kingdom has developed regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation, facilitate investment, and create a supportive environment for the digital economy, while also maintaining room for further improvement as technology evolves.

“From a regulation perspective, Saudi Arabia’s score is considered very good,” she said. “They are developing regulations that enable prosperity and accelerate the digital economy, ensuring growth across multiple sectors.” Abdulaal stressed that maintaining robust regulations is key to supporting sustainable digital transformation.

While the Kingdom excels in education, health, and workforce development, Abdulaal pointed out that digital innovation remains an area with significant potential.

Increased investment in research and development is critical to advancing technology adoption, fostering innovation, and maintaining leadership in the global digital economy.

“Digital innovation needs strong investment and focus, not only in Saudi Arabia but across all assessed countries,” she said. “The acceleration of technology underscores the need for research and development to drive growth in the digital economy.”

The Digital Economy Navigator collects data from both primary and secondary sources, including surveys of about 500 participants per country, capturing citizens’ perspectives on digital maturity.

This approach ensures that the digital economy reflects societal needs and priorities, aligning growth with public expectations.

Abdulaal emphasized the importance of human capital development as a foundation for a resilient digital economy. The framework evaluates how countries invest in upskilling and reskilling their workforce, preparing society to participate in and benefit from advanced digital technologies.

“Human capital is a main pillar of the digital economy,” she said. “The enabler dimension focuses on digital capabilities, measuring how countries equip their citizens with essential skills for the future.”

She added that strong digital literacy is already evident in Saudi Arabia, but the next phase involves preparing for AI, Internet of Things, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies.

Saudi Arabia’s focus on education, health, and workforce training positions it to capitalize on the opportunities presented by advanced digital technologies.

By combining strong regulation, investment in innovation, and a skilled workforce, the Kingdom is setting the stage for sustainable growth and a thriving, future-ready digital economy.

The country’s achievements in digital health and education highlight its commitment to empowering citizens, enhancing quality of life, and maintaining global leadership in technology and innovation, firmly aligning with the long-term goals of Vision 2030.