Amazon Web Services and Manara collaborate to develop cloud talent across MENA
With a shared commitment to fostering innovation and driving social change at scale, AWS and Manara are teaming up to upskill the top software engineers, data scientists, and AI engineers in this region with cloud and AI skills. Both companies believe this region is poised to become a major technology hub in the coming decade. AWS also recently announced a $5.3 billion investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"The Middle East is poised to become the next frontier for technology talent, and Manara is at the forefront of this movement," said Iliana Montauk, Founder and CEO of Manara. "Through our collaboration with AWS, we are doubling down on our commitment to accelerate the development of top tech talent across MENA with the skills and resources they need to succeed in today's digital economy."
Founded in Silicon Valley by two visionary female entrepreneurs, Manara has quickly emerged as a leading force in the region's tech community, backed by top investors including Y Combinator, Seedcamp, Precursor Ventures, Neo Capital, and notable figures such as Reid Hoffman, Eric Ries, Marc Benioff, Paul Graham, and Jessica Livingston. Manara's mission is not only to bridge the gap between top tech talent and global opportunities but also to champion diversity and inclusion, particularly among women throughout the region.
Antonio Alonso Lopez, Director of Partner Management, EMEA, AWS said, 'AWS is committed to providing learners and organizations with high-quality training and certifications to build and validate cloud skills. Together with outstanding partners like Manara, we are equipping communities with the expertise required to pursue careers in cloud computing and capitalize on the tremendous opportunity that generative AI represents. We look forward to working together to cultivate the next generation of cloud professionals in MENA.'
The joint initiative will focus on providing 2,500 software engineers with training in cloud computing and AWS services to equip them with the skills needed to thrive in today's tech-driven economy. The training will be delivered through Manara's proprietary education technology platform. Engineers will receive AWS Certifications and pathways to meaningful employment opportunities. Enterprise companies in the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and North America will be able to access the trained and qualified engineers via Manara's hiring services. Interested talent and companies can sign up at www.manara.tech. For years, Manara has been partnering with Fortune 500 companies to build a pipeline of computer scientists in this region.
In addition to the collaboration with Manara, AWS continues to spearhead initiatives around the world aimed at upskilling people with cloud and AI trainings.
'This program has really given me the confidence and expertise to pursue roles in AWS services and cloud computing.' said Omar AlSakka, a proud graduate of the initiative. This collaboration with AWS has opened doors for other graduates and equipped them with the skills needed to thrive in the tech industry.
For more information about AWS and Manara, visit aws.amazon.com and www.manara.tech.
About Amazon Web Services
Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any workload, and it now has more than 240 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, media, and application development, deployment, and management from 105 Availability Zones within 33 geographic regions, with announced plans for 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Millions of customers including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit aws.amazon.com.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth's Best Employer, and Earth's Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
ABOUT MANARA
Manara is a Silicon Valley edtech startup, founded by Iliana Montauk & Laila Abudahi, dedicated to accelerating the careers of computer science and AI talent in the Middle East & North Africa region, with a focus on women. Through its engaging edtech platform and world class instructor-led training, Manara helps companies and governments train their own engineering teams or build ecosystems of talent. Backed by top investors including Y Combinator and Reid Hoffman, Manara has partnered with top tech companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft since 2020 and has been called 'the gold standard' for talent from the Middle East.
For media queries: press@manara.tech
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Broadcast Pro
16 hours ago
- Broadcast Pro
Rocket Lab launches 69th Electron mission for iQPS
The company plans four more dedicated Electron launches for iQPS through the rest of 2025 and into 2026. Rocket Lab has launched its 69th Electron mission and deployed the latest satellite to orbit for Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS) – Rocket Labs fifth dedicated mission in a multi-launch contract to build their constellation in low Earth orbit. The Harvest Goddess Thrives mission lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 04:10 UTC on August 5. Electron deployed a single synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite named QPS-SAR-12 (nicknamed KUSHINADA-I for the Japanese goddess of harvest and agriculture) to a 575km circular Earth orbit. It was Rocket Labs fourth launch this year for iQPS and fifth mission overall, making Electron the most prolific launcher of their constellation to date. Four more dedicated iQPS missions are scheduled to launch on Electron through the remainder of this year and in 2026. Rocket Lab Founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said: 'Every Electron launch is a demonstration of payload deployment precision for our customers an especially critical element when scaling satellite constellations. Todays fifth and flawless deployment for iQPS once again underscores Electrons reliability and continues to prove that consistent tailored access to space is a reality on Electron for our customers.' Dr Shunsuke Onishi, CEO, iQPS, added: 'Building a satellite constellation requires both timely development and manufacturing, as well as highly precise launch execution. We are deeply grateful to both our team and the Rocket Lab team for their continued dedication in making this possible. As the number of satellites increases, so too does the frequency and value of the data we are able to provide. We will continue to accelerate our efforts to ensure that our satellite data can be leveraged in even more fields and applications.'The Harvest Goddess Thrives marks Rocket Labs 11th Electron mission of 2025 and its 69th launch overall. Details of the next Electron launch will be shared in the coming days.
Gulf Business
17 hours ago
- Gulf Business
Kaan Terzioğlu on how VEON is building digital ecosystems across frontier markets
Image courtesy: LinkedIn From its new headquarters in Dubai, Nasdaq-listed With operations across Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan — markets home to more than 500 million people — VEON is delivering services that go far beyond connectivity. Under CEO Kaan Terzioğlu's leadership, the company is targeting 50 per cent of its revenue to come from non-telecom digital services within the next three years, leveraging local talent, language-first AI, and inclusive platforms to drive impact. We spoke with Terzioğlu about VEON's digital strategy, its move to the UAE, and the vision behind creating 'digital nations'. You moved VEON's headquarters to Dubai last year. What was the rationale? The move was driven by Dubai's operational excellence, especially during the post-COVID recovery. Its global connectivity, safety, and pro-business environment made it the right fit. By December 2024, we had officially completed the relocation. Today, VEON is the largest Nasdaq-listed company headquartered in Dubai, and we've successfully recruited global talent attracted to the UAE's lifestyle and infrastructure. VEON operates in some of the world's most complex markets. How do you ensure business continuity and growth? We operate in frontier markets with significant potential: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. These regions are underserved in areas like financial inclusion, education, and healthcare. Our strategy is to deliver relevant, localised digital services. We maintain a unified strategic vision but empower local execution — each operating company has its own board and independent directors to ensure governance and responsiveness. Give us more details about VEON's financial and entertainment services, especially in markets like Pakistan, and how these contribute to financial inclusion and community progress? In our operating countries, more than one in three people has never had a bank relationship, over 60 per cent don't have a credit card, and over 70 per cent haven't had a line of credit. This creates a huge opportunity for financial inclusion. In Pakistan, our JazzCash digital wallet handles over 10 per cent of the country's GDP transactions, reaching over 20 million people monthly from a customer base of 50 million. We issue 141,000 loans daily. These are small loans, like $30 for a taxi driver to fix a tire or a housewife to buy flour to sell cookies. These enable communities to progress and be financially included. We will deploy financial services in all our countries, with success in Pakistan and Kazakhstan. We have 160 million telecom customers, 40 million monthly financial services customers, and an additional 40 million consuming entertainment services. Tamasha is Pakistan's number one OTT platform with 22 million monthly users, and we have similar platforms like Toffee in Bangladesh and Kino in Uzbekistan. Our philosophy is simple: our countries are data-producing, and it's vital to process this data locally to create digital services, jobs, and taxes. We must stop selling raw data and instead provide relevant digital services: financial services, entertainment, education, and healthcare. Can you elaborate on your transformation into a digital ecosystem operator? In Pakistan, through our subsidiary Jazz, we operate JazzCash, the country's leading mobile wallet with nearly 20 million active users and over 171,000 merchant partners. It processes micro loans daily. We also offer Tamasha, Pakistan's leading OTT streaming platform with over 22 million monthly active users, and Garaj, our enterprise cloud and cybersecurity platform. In Bangladesh, our brand Banglalink has launched Toffee, an ad-supported OTT platform with millions of users. In Uzbekistan, Beeline Uzbekistan runs the Kino streaming service, while Beeline Kazakhstan offers Beeline TV and educational tools built with our in-house tech company CasCod e . VEON is also active in digital healthcare. Tell us more about that. In Ukraine, our operating company Kyivstar runs the Helsi platform, which reaches around 28 million users. It offers telemedicine, diagnostics, and medicine delivery. Especially during wartime, it has been critical in maintaining access to healthcare. We see platforms like Helsi as essential in redefining what a telecom company can be, delivering real-world impact beyond data and voice. How do digital services reflect on your revenue mix? Digital services account for around 15 per cent of our revenue today and are growing by about 1 per cent per quarter. Our goal is to reach 50 per cent digital revenue within the next three years. We've built three technology development companies — CasCode in Kazakhstan, plus teams in Uzbekistan and Ukraine, which allow us to create apps and platforms in-house and at scale. What's your approach to AI and local-language innovation? Global AI platforms often overlook languages like Kazakh, Uzbek, or Bangla. That's where we step in. In Kazakhstan, CasCode developed a Kazakh-language large language model ( We're pushing for digital sovereignty — tools built by locals, for locals. Are you eyeing expansion into new markets? Yes, in two ways. First, we want to serve our diaspora. Millions of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis live in the GCC, the UK, and beyond — these are future users of our digital finance or healthcare services. Second, we see potential in markets like Iraq and Syria, where we would consider expansion when regulatory clarity and stability improve. What are the leadership values that drive VEON and your personal philosophy? Everything we do is rooted in purpose and clarity. Purpose means using our platform to improve lives, be it enabling a small loan, delivering a medical consultation, or helping students learn. Clarity means being decisive, especially in complex environments. Combined, these principles ensure our teams stay focused and ethical while delivering at scale.
TECHx
18 hours ago
- TECHx
NetApp Appoints Al-Zahrani to Lead Saudi Cloud Strategy
Home » C-Suite Watch » NetApp Appoints Al-Zahrani to Lead Saudi Cloud Strategy NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the data infrastructure company, announced the appointment of Saeed Al-Zahrani as General Manager for Saudi Arabia. The move reinforces NetApp's commitment to supporting the Kingdom's digital transformation goals. In his new role, Al-Zahrani will drive NetApp's local strategy. He will also focus on deepening public and private sector partnerships and helping customers unlock more value from their data. With nearly 20 years of experience in Saudi Arabia's tech sector, Al-Zahrani has held senior leadership roles at Nutanix, Solutions by stc, Oracle, LinkedIn, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Over his career, he has consistently promoted customer-first innovation, digital transformation, and operational excellence across various industries. Suhail Hasanain, Senior Director & General Manager, Middle East & Africa at NetApp, said Al-Zahrani brings strong vision and execution to the role. His appointment supports Saudi Arabia's data-driven and AI-enabled future. It also aligns with NetApp's long-term strategy for regional growth. Al-Zahrani expressed enthusiasm about contributing to the Kingdom's transformation and working with partners and customers across the country. Earlier this year, NetApp opened its new headquarters in Riyadh. The company's growing presence in the Kingdom aims to deliver intelligent data infrastructure across key sectors such as energy, healthcare, and smart cities. NetApp cloud solutions are enabling secure hybrid environments and real-time insights, helping advance Saudi Arabia's ambition to become a leading digital economy. The company also continues to support local talent development, innovation, and long-term partnerships with government, enterprise, and academic sectors.
