Google made a series of announcements on Tuesday, to make its products more helpful to the Arab world. The announcements are new features on Google Search, the launch of Google Assistant in 15 new countries, a new safety feature on Maps, and a $1m grant to scale digital skills programmes next year.
“Every day, people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) turn to Google for help, to get things done and to learn new things,” said Lino Cattaruzzi, the company’s Managing Director in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan over a statement on Tuesday.
Over the years, the tech giant improved how their products work in Arabic, whether that was on Search, Assistant, Maps, or YouTube, Cattaruzzi mentioned, noting that “we are committed to making our products more helpful to people in the Middle East and North Africa, and to scale our digital skills programme to open opportunities for more people.”
In 2018, the tech giant launched an Arabic digital skills programme, “Maharat min Google,” which has reached more than 500,000 young people, women, and underprivileged students in the MENA region.
Moreover, a 2019 research by Public First research company estimates that around 89% of people in the UAE and Saudi Arabia the company’s search once a month to learn a new skill. The report indicated that around 80% of online Egyptians use Google Search because it provides new information not available by other means.
