Saudi knowledge city in tie-up with Wipro

Saudi Arabia's Knowledge Economic City (KEC) Al Madinah will utilize leading Indian IT major Wipro's solutions and assess the possibility of developing an ICT-related research and development centre within KEC.

An agreement to this effect was signed by KEC chairman Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Mohammed Al-Issa and Wipro chairman Azim Premji in Jeddah Friday.

"Wipro is one of the largest IT service providers in the world," KEC chief executive Tahir Bawazir said.

"They bring with them decades of experience and a work force large enough to provide a full support system to KEC. We will be working together in areas of research and development, as well as establishing a joint education institute for the training of IT professionals."

He said that Wipro would cooperate with KEC in corporate social responsibility initiatives, which enhance the local community's IT basic skills.

"Wipro employs around 85,000 people internationally and have over two decades experience training people; we'll use this expertise in the local market to up-skill the Saudi people," he said.