Source: Construction Week Online

DAMAC Properties has announced that its founder and chairman, Hussain Sajwani, will be speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF), taking place from 23 to 26 January, in Davos, Switzerland.

Sajwani will be participating in a session, set for the first day of the event, about the increasing demand for advanced digital skills, the Dubai-based developer revealed in a statement.

According to DAMAC, Sajwani’s participation in the Digital Skills Imperative session is expected to draw attention to efforts being made in the Middle East to help the youth acquire ICT skills.

Sajwani is among the supporters of the One Million Arab Coders initiative, which aims to create a pool of one million software coders. The initiative was launched in October 2017.

Commenting on the importance of digital skills in today’s economy, DAMAC’s Chairman, said: “As the world moves towards the adoption of a digital economy, it is becoming increasingly dependent on the availability of a skilled workforce, where each nation’s economic success is dependent on its efforts to develop a talent pool of highly skilled workers to cope with this disruption.

“The digital skills gap is a global dilemma, not just one for emerging markets, as millions of jobs in software development need to be filled right now. What happens when these jobs increase by 20%, 30%, or 40% in the near future? Where will the global community find a sustainable stream of talent to tap into?”

He added: “The global community needs more initiatives like One Million Coders to empower [its] societies with the skills and technical expertise required for jobs of the future. This is a strategic imperative for the economic success of any nation, as the world enters the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”