Mumbai: Tata Consultancy Services said it would set up an all-women business processes outsourcing centre in Saudi Arabia, a conservative Islamic nation where women must be accompanied by a male relative when in public and are not allowed to drive.

The Riyadh-based centre will be set up in partnership with energy company Saudi Aramco and U.S. engineering conglomerate GE. TCS, India's largest software services exporter, will own 76 percent while GE will own the rest of the equity. Saudi Aramco and GE will be the anchor clients in the centre.

The companies said they would work together to scale up the new venture to create up to 3,000 jobs for Saudi professional females. GE will create up to 1,000 jobs for this initiative. The Middle East BPO market is estimated at about $2.7 billion and is growing at about 17 percent, according to Datamonitor.

"Saudi Arabia is a focus market for the Tata Group where we have built strong partnerships and this ambitious initiative is an example of our commitment to this market." Cyrus Mistry, Chairman of TCS and the Tata Group, said in a statement.

The new business process services centre will start localizing the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Kingdom, an increasingly important initiative of the Saudi government, which has been trying to diversify its economy and lessen its dependence on oil exports.

"In recent decades, the world, including Saudi Arabian enterprises, has been outsourcing (services) functions offshore. It's time to bring those jobs home," Khalid A. Al Falih, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco said in a statement.

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