DUBAI // Producing new internet content in the Arabic language has received backing from governments in the Gulf region.
Last year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Arabic Digital Content initiative, supported by the ICT Fund - an arm of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. The fund earmarked Dh25 million for the next five years for programmes to improve Arabic content.
In Abu Dhabi, The Creative Lab hub at Twofour54 media zone has also been working on developing Arabic websites.
Meanwhile, Qatar has established the Digital Content Incubation Centre to promote online entrepreneurship, In Saudi Arabia, the King Abdullah Initiative for Arabic Content works towards increasing the number of Arabic websites.
Learning resources, such as e-books and e-learning, are also a growth market.
In 2012, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) report on the Status of the Digital Arabic Content Industry noted a lack in the development of e-Books and e-Learning content in the region.
Sami Al Mubarak, co-founder of Taghreedat, says his company is trying to change this.
Recently, Taghreedat partnered with the non-profit online educational organisation Khan Academy to translate more than 1,000 videos.
“Our current project is with open education source provider Coursera, where we have people translating university courses in general topics, such as psychology and mathematics.”
Tagreedat also runs the Wikipedia Editors project with the Wikimedia Foundation to add new entries to the online encyclopaedia.
aahmed@thenational.ae
