he World Economic Forum for the MENA region is held bi-annually at the Dead Sea in Jordan and will take place on April 6th and 7th 2019.
Wikaya, a digital platform that helps improve the prevention of chronic diseases through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things technologies (IOT), was selected by the World Economic Forum as one of the top 100 Arab start-ups shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution in 2019, across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The World Economic Forum for the MENA region is held bi-annually at the Dead Sea in Jordan and will take place on April 6th and 7th this year. The forum is expected to bring together over 1,000 leaders representing various businesses, government and civil agencies to discuss some of the most concerning challenges facing the region.
Wikaya’s mission is to help in fighting the increasing prevalence of chronic and lifestyle-related diseases in the MENA region by empowering the prevention efforts. The platform focuses on treating risk factors such as obesity, unhealthy nutrition, lack of physical activity and smoking.
Dr Mahmoud Kaiyal, CEO and Co-founder of Wikaya said, “Wikaya is committed to helping prevent chronic diseases, and we have built an AI-based technology that can help us achieve that. Fighting chronic disease has become a priority in the region. Even the UAE Ministry of Health changed its name to the Ministry of health and prevention to address this ongoing issue.”
The most promising start-ups for the forum were selected by a committee comprising of the region’s key venture capitalists. Leaders of the selected start-ups were then featured prominently and given a chance to highlight their work at the forum.
Chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are by far the leading cause of death across the MENA region. Chronic diseases are expected to cost GCC economies over $36B each year.
Wikaya was launched in September 2018 by running a pilot in the US market. Now the company is preparing the launch of its Arabic version in the region soon.