Saudi Arabia's MCIT mobilised 28,000+ volunteer specialists to deliver free digital-literacy training and Arabic-language tech content nationwide, reaching over 7 million beneficiaries in its first year and winning the UN's WSIS Prizes 2020.
28000+
Registered ICT volunteers (2018-2022)
7 million+
Beneficiaries reached (first year)
12-18 million
Cumulative beneficiaries (later press estimate)
113000
Students equipped with devices (Kulana Attaa, COVID)
1st place
WSIS Prizes 2020 ranking (2020)
Details
Promoter
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Saudi Arabia
Period
2018–2022 (documented activity); part of ongoing Vision 2030 digital-inclusion agenda
Keywords
digital literacy, volunteering, Arabic digital content, ICT skills
Context
Attaa Digital ('Digital Giving') is a Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) initiative launched in September 2018 that mobilises volunteer technology specialists to deliver free digital-literacy courses (AI, cybersecurity, programming) and Arabic-language tech content via an e-learning platform and in-person regional workshops, aiming to close both a digital-literacy gap and a shortage of Arabic-language online content.
Results
The ITU's WSIS stocktaking record documents over 28,000 registered volunteers and more than 7 million beneficiaries reached in the initiative's first year; Saudi and regional press later cited cumulative reach of 12-18 million, including a COVID-era 'Kulana Attaa' strand that equipped roughly 113,000 low-income students with devices. The tracked project phase runs 2018-2022; no independently verifiable evidence of continued activity at the same scale afterward was found.
Implementation
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