Software industry in the Arab countries status, current issues and future directions

Abstract

The information industry is becoming a major source of wealth for many nations; the software industry, in particular, can play an important role in the economies of the developing nations. The Arab countries have a large number of university graduates in computer‐related disciplines; however, the status of the information industry in these countries is far below expectations. One obstacle to the proliferation of computer technology in the Arab societies has been the language barrier. Efforts to Arabize the technology, be it Arabization of software, hardware, user manuals or textbooks and references, are very weak and cannot cope with the rate of advancement in the technology. Furthermore, most Arab countries do not have clear computerization policies, and this has often resulted in the following: nonexistence of serious computer literacy programs, low utilization of information technology in the society, unawareness of the economic and strategic importance of the technology, weak support from higher authorities, weak R & D efforts and hesitation of the private capital to venture into the information technology sector.