Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim Al-Harqan is a member of the Saudi Shoura Council, also known as the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia. It is the formal advisory board in the Kingdom.
A Shoura Council member since 2013, Al-Harqan has supported the drafting of numerous laws to the king for approval.
On Wednesday, Al-Harqan presided over a special panel discussion at the conclusion of the e-Parliament Conference in Geneva.
During the discussion, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Al-Harqan gave a presentation on the role of information technology in facilitating the work of MPs.
Some of the topics discussed included the recognition and identification of citizens’ opinions about the use of artificial intelligence systems that can be provided without the need for traditional manual tools, such as voting booths.
Al-Harqan earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from King Saud University in 1986.
He acquired several years’ experience as an agricultural engineer, as well as serving as the director of national training for the Ministry of Agriculture before earning his master’s degree in computer sciences from the American University in Washington in 1995.
On returning to the Kingdom, Al-Harqan continued his work under the Ministry of Agriculture, serving as the director of the information system unit.
In 2003, while working as an information technology adviser at the World Bank, Al-Harqan completed his Ph.D. studies in computer sciences from George Washington University, in Washington DC.
Prior to serving on the Saudi Shoura Council, Al-Harqan was the director of the Bader Program for Technology Incubators at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
In 2008, he served as chairman of the National Policy Development Committee for Patronizing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Kingdom.
In 2013, Al-Harqan was appointed chairman of the Council of Sponsors of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, as well as a member of the committee studying private-sector reluctance to invest in Saudi inventions.
