In a new episode of Marketplace Middle East, CNN’s Eleni Giokos explores how digital transformation is shaping the region including a look at smart cities and an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning.

Projects like Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, Qatar’s Lusail City, and Oman’s Sultan Haitham City are embracing digital transformation to boost economic growth. Mohammed Soliman, Director of Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Program at the Middle East Institute, speaks about the region’s smart cities, “We are in a region that’s a quarter of a billion people. The current existing landscape is not sustainable. Since we’re approaching an era where the reliance on hydrocarbons is being reduced. There’s an imperative to fast track this shift to smart cities in the Gulf more broadly.”

As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Saudi Arabia has witnessed great transformation over the last decade. CNN’s Richard Quest spoke to Faisal Alibrahim, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy, at the World Economic forum in Davos to learn more about the strategies that are shaping the country’s future.

Alibrahim said that the country should, “Continue to make it easier to do investments in the Kingdom. I think we will always try to be more competitive. And attract capital to opportunities that will help Saudi Arabia become a platform for growth. Growing products that are competitive to external markets, but also growing our internal sector so it can be more attractive for tourists, investors, and tenants.”

The minister also discussed diversification and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, “We have new sectors that didn’t exist before. Culture, sports, entertainment, and tourism. Change in Saudi Arabia, focused on social and cultural change. There was room for us to go back to some of the basics in terms of openness and hospitality and inviting people, focusing on that first has allowed for optimal economic development.”

Finally, at one of the world’s biggest tech fairs, CES in Las Vegas, CNN’s Anna Stewart spoke to Hyundai Global President and COO Jose Muñoz about the Middle East’s adoption of smart cities. He said, “We announced recently the development of a factory to produce electric vehicles in Saudi and then we are developing all the ecosystem including the suppliers. We’re very strong in the Middle East in general and then those cities are very eager to get our technology and to be utilising the concept that we call the smart city.”