We are delighted to introduce the 13th edition of Business LANDSCAPE magazine, a Business LANDSCAPE is a quarterly published magazine that sheds light on the Iraqi private sector, its challenges, developments, investments, and the entrepreneurial scene. It serves as a platform for the Iraqi business ecosystem.
This edition explores Iraq's journey toward digital transformation. It highlights the progress made in digital connectivity, youth engagement, and digital initiatives. The edition covers the role of technology in economic growth, e-governance, and healthcare. It also delves into the importance of user experience, gamification in e-commerce, and advancements in medical technologies, with insights from key figures driving Iraq's digital revolution.
We examine Iraq's digital transformation journey by identifying the push factors that drive the need for change and the pull factors that present growth opportunities. We highlight the progress so far on multiple dimensions, including digital connectivity, youth engagement, and international support, while addressing challenges like economic reliance on oil, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and youth unemployment. We outline the strategies to build digital infrastructure, enhance skills, and improve governance, aiming to create a dynamic and resilient digital economy.
We discuss the role of technology in driving economic growth and diversification in Iraq. Although Iraq, once a leader in technological advancements, has fallen behind due to wars, political unrest, and insufficient investment in technology, the article identifies key reasons for this lag, including skill gaps, lack of know-how, and reliance on oil revenues. Moreover, we also discuss the lack of technology in important economic aspects, such as government revenue collection, banking, industrial growth, and job creation, which could accelerate the digital transformation.
We investigate the potential benefits and challenges of implementing e-governance in Iraq. We highlight the Iraqi bureaucracy's current inefficiencies, the role of digital transformation in improving government services, and the need for legal frameworks to support this shift. The adoption of modern technologies can enhance transparency and efficiency and help combat corruption.
We look at the significant opportunities that generative AI presents for transforming the healthcare sector in Iraq. By leveraging AI, Iraqi healthcare startups can overcome existing challenges, such as manual record-keeping and inefficiencies in care delivery, and transition to better patient care and operations. While we identify several AI use cases in the medical field, we address the challenges that Iraqi AI startups need to address, particularly accuracy, safety, data privacy, customer adoption, and more.
The role of programming and digital skills are keys to our digital economy. Therefore, we delve into She Codes Too, an initiative that aims to address gender disparity in the tech sector by equipping Iraqi women with essential technical and professional skills. We discuss the organization's mission, the challenges it faces, and its success stories while emphasizing the transformative impact of empowering women in technology on Iraq's digital economy.
We also look into the role of user experience (UX) in shaping Iraq's digital transformation as we discuss the current state of UX in Iraq, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in integrating user-centric design within local companies. It underscores the importance of educating stakeholders about the value of UX, the need for specialized UX roles, and the transformative impact of well-designed digital products on user engagement and satisfaction. We provide insights into overcoming corporate and cultural challenges to establish a better UX culture in Iraq, which ultimately contributes to Iraq’s digital evolution.
This edition uncovers the impact of gamification on the e-commerce landscape. Integrating game-like elements into online shopping can significantly enhance customer engagement, loyalty, and overall shopping experience. Through examples like Duolingo, IKEA, and local Iraqi brands such as Zuqaq13 and Alsaree3, we illustrate how gamification can be effectively applied across different sectors and markets to create engaging, rewarding, and memorable customer journeys. We also address the challenges of implementing gamification, emphasizing the importance of balancing excitement with user-friendliness and resource management.
Moreover, KAPITA’s Research Team defines the digital economy in the Iraqi context, examines the current advancements, proposes a model for it across the most important sectors, and highlights the future outlook emphasizing government initiatives, infrastructure, and skill development programs.
We also present a brief summary of the advancement of medical technologies in Iraq. We cover various advanced technologies such as Electronic Health Records (EHR), Telehealth, Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems, 3D printing, and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) in terms of benefits, applications, and the challenges faced in their implementation.
Our series of interviews includes key figures contributing to the digital revolution in Iraq.
Dr. Hasan Alkhatib, the Strategic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Iraq for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications. In this interview, he discusses Iraq’s digital transformation initiatives, including the Oracle Cloud, expansion of the National Data Center, Digital Academy, and more. He highlights the Iraq Development Fund's role in creating a favorable investment environment and its implementation.
Moe Alkhafaj, the founder and CEO of Pure Platform, highlights the challenges of the global cross-border shopping and shipping industry, shares insights on the impact of Pure Platform on the digital economy, and sheds light on the role of AI in business creation and development.
Finally, Ahmed Al-Musawi, the founder and CEO of Sindibad, walks us through Sindibad's establishment journey, discusses the Iraqi tourism industry regarding tourism trends, opportunities, potential, and challenges, and highlights the role of tourism digital transformation in the country's digital economy.
