Reconstruction in the 21st century is not only a battle of cement and steel. At its core, it has become a battle of data. In a world where countries are measured by their ability to produce and use knowledge, data represents the fuel of the digital economy, the tool of modern governance, and the real engine of any sustainable revival.
From this perspective, web science and data management specialist Mohammad Tawfiq Nahlawi told Enab Baladi that the recent announcement of a partnership between the Syrian company MDC and the Saudi company Cypher to establish the first Tier III data center in Syria goes beyond being a commercial or technical agreement.
Nahlawi considers this partnership a foundational step toward building a national digital infrastructure capable of supporting digital transformation, strengthening information sovereignty, and preparing the country for a data-based economy.
Under the partnership, the center will provide an integrated system of cloud hosting, cybersecurity, and round-the-clock digital security operations services for government bodies, banking institutions, and private companies. It also includes a full commitment to digital sovereignty standards and keeping data inside Syrian territory, amid expectations that it will attract a wave of regional technology investments.
Development Begins With Data
Nahlawi said data becomes, during recovery and reconstruction phases, a “strategic compass” that prevents waste, improves the allocation of resources, and supports fairness in service delivery.
Just as factories cannot operate without energy, and cities cannot be built without cement, effective public policies cannot be formulated without accurate, updated, and analyzable data.
Population censuses, socioeconomic surveys, and data on education, work, migration, and health are not merely numerical tables, according to Nahlawi. They are the language through which reality speaks. The absence of this language, he said, means planning in the dark.
It is impossible to set reconstruction priorities without real knowledge of population distribution. Schools, hospitals, and service infrastructure also cannot be built without an accurate assessment of gaps and geographic needs.
Having web scientists and data management specialists in addition to establishing advanced data centers and cybersecurity operations centers represents an important shift toward protecting digital assets and strengthening confidence in technical infrastructure.
Nahlawi noted that a technical approach alone is not enough, stressing the need to clearly distinguish between the container, meaning data centers, servers, and network connectivity, and the content, meaning the data itself, its quality, how it is generated, integrated, and analyzed.
The technology expert pointed to a tangible gap between the technical capacity for storage and processing and the institutional capacity to produce reliable data and use it in decision-making. He considered that a data center, no matter how advanced, does not create value on its own. Value is achieved when data is translated into knowledge, and knowledge into policies.
An Integrated Strategic Plan
The data management specialist recommends adopting a clear strategic path, involving the state, the private sector, and civil society, to turn the emerging digital infrastructure into a real lever for reconstruction in Syria.
National Census and Data Governance Are Priorities
A comprehensive population census and regular national surveys are a top strategic priority. A state cannot plan its future while it does not know its demographic and social reality.
Nahlawi focused on developing legislative and institutional frameworks that regulate data ownership, flow, and sharing among different sectors, while ensuring privacy and protecting personal data. Data integration is a basic condition for an integrated vision.
He said digital infrastructure has no value without cadres capable of analyzing and interpreting data and linking it to decision-making. Building national capacities in data science and analysis is no longer a luxury, but a sovereign necessity.
He concluded that making non-sovereign data available in open and organized formats enables entrepreneurs, researchers, and developers to create digital solutions that serve development and stimulate a knowledge-based economy.
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