Manara and AWS Spotlight Saudi Tech Talent with Cloud Catalyst Forum 2026

Editorial Team

Last updated 26-01-2026

3 min

Manara and AWS hosted the Cloud Catalyst Tech Forum in Riyadh, spotlighting Saudi tech talent.

A Generative AI hackathon drew 1,000 participants building solutions aligned with Vision 2030.

Panels explored cloud adoption, AI’s workforce impact, and the Kingdom’s digital momentum.

Manara and AWS also signed a $2,8m deal to train 5,000 regional engineers by 2028.

Participant stories showed how exposure to AWS tools gives graduates a clear edge.

Manara and AWS quietly pulled off something rather special in Riyadh earlier this month. On 18 and 19 January, the two launched the Cloud Catalyst Tech Forum 2026, a two-day gathering aimed at putting Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing tech talent squarely in the spotlight. The idea was simple enough, yet spot on: bring together hiring partners from across the Kingdom and let them meet engineers graduating from Manara’s Saudi programmes, delivered with backing from AWS. And believe it or not, the energy in the room sounded anything but corporate.

One of the biggest draws was a Generative AI hackathon that attracted more than 1,000 participants. That’s no small feat. Teams built cloud-based AI solutions using AWS infrastructure, with problem statements tied closely to national priorities and Saudi Vision 2030. I’ve seen my fair share of hackathons around the region, and they can sometimes be a bit of a faff. This one felt different. There was a clear sense that participants weren’t just building demos for fun, but tools that could genuinely plug into the Kingdom’s digital transformation.

Beyond the hacking marathons, the forum leaned into conversation. Keynotes, panels and fireside chats featured senior figures from government and the private sector, digging into how cloud adoption is accelerating, what AI really means for the Saudi workforce, and where the economy could land if this momentum keeps up. That said, I reckon the most valuable moments often happen in the corridors, when a young engineer realises a hiring manager is actually listening… you know?

Amr El Selouky, Manara’s CEO, described the forum as “an exciting next chapter” in the company’s relationship with AWS, noting that as cloud adoption gathers pace, initiatives like this help ensure local engineers are leading, not lagging. Alongside the forum, Manara and AWS also signed a new social impact agreement worth up to $2.8 million, running through to February 2028. The aim is to train, upskill and certify more than 5,000 software engineers across the MENA region, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt firmly in focus. From the Arageek community’s perspective, this kind of long-term pipeline building is exactly what the ecosystem needs, even if it doesn’t always grab headlines straight away.

Individual stories put flesh on those numbers. Omar Badawi, a Manara programme participant, summed it up neatly when he said university gave him theory, while Manara turned him into a software engineer. Exposure to AWS cloud tools while still a student, he explained, put him miles ahead of peers and opened doors to a regional network from Tunisia to the UAE. Serena Barakat, an AI Product Owner at PSI and a Manara hiring partner, highlighted how Badawi’s adaptability across technologies makes him a reliable asset under pressure. I’m not a fan of overhyping talent programmes, but examples like this definately help make the case that something is working.

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