Our eyes are set on the future
Today, Saudi Arabia is celebrating its 88th National Day. It marks the day the Kingdom was unified under the founding King Abdul Aziz in 1932. On this occasion, we also celebrate the progress our great nation has made over the last nine decades to become a modern state and a major player on the international arena.
Yet another milestone in our nation’s historic journey under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is April 25, 2016 — the day Vision 2030 was announced. The reform plan expresses our long-term goals and reflects our country’s strengths and capabilities.
Our leadership’s vision is of a strong, thriving, stable Saudi Arabia that provides opportunity for all. Vision 2030 emphasizes scaling up economic diversification, raising the skill level of young Saudi men and women, and wisely utilizing the Kingdom’s abundant natural resources.
The Saudi government is exerting continuous efforts to diversify its economy to achieve the goals set under Vision 2030. The ambitious $500 billion megacity project Neom is underway. The 26,500-sq-km zone will focus on diverse industries including energy and water, biotechnology, food, advanced manufacturing and entertainment.
Additionally, Al-Qiddiya project — an entertainment, sports and cultural destination — is a first of its kind and was launched earlier this year near Riyadh. These diverse cities will be significant in creating new employment opportunities and accelerating the growth of the Saudi economy.
Our eyes are set on the future. Our New Solar Energy Plan 2030 is the world’s largest project of its type. By 2019, the Kingdom’s first two solar-generation projects, with 3 GW and 4.2 GW of solar capacity, will be commissioned, and by 2030 more than 150 GW of solar power will be generated.
The plan will help create up to 100,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Kingdom. Additionally, it will increase gross domestic product (GDP) by $12 billion and save up to $40 billion annually.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has been strengthening its oil industry, one of the strongest drivers of its growth, and has maintained its position as a key enabler in the global oil economy. In April, Saudi Aramco and a consortium of three Indian oil companies signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly build and develop an integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in Ratnagiri, on the west coast of India. The project is estimated to cost $44 billion.
The Kingdom has also initiated a program of restructuring at all levels of government institutions. Digital services have been expanded to reduce delays and tedious bureaucracy, and to ensure more efficiency, transparency and accountability. Significant steps have been taken to improve the business and investment climate to promote industrial development, particularly small and medium-size enterprises.
Peace, stability, non-interference, good neighborliness and regional prosperity will continue to be our guiding principles. My country will continue its leading role in countering extremism and terrorism and their supporters.
Dr. Saud Mohammed Al-Sati
According to a recent World Bank report, Saudi Arabia instituted the largest number of business reforms in the Middle East and North Africa. In June 2019, the Kingdom will be included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, the MSCI ACWI Index, and other applicable regional and international indexes. Multiple regulatory and operational improvements are opening the domestic market to international investors.
Social development is as crucial as economic development. Led by Vision 2030 and the associated National Transformation Program, Saudi Arabia has surpassed a majority of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was made possible by integrating SDGs into specific and detailed plans and programs developed by the government in partnership with the private sector and civil society organizations.
To promote the full participation of women, the Kingdom has launched several initiatives, including a national observatory to monitor women’s participation in economic and social development, and a digital portal for female jobseekers. The royal decree that has allowed women in the Kingdom to drive has further enabled their participation in the progressive economy.
More than 50 percent of Saudi university graduates are women. Women have achieved a remarkable increase in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Scholarships Abroad in multiple disciplines. Today, female scholarship students are enrolled at universities in 57 countries, accounting for nearly 25 percent of our nearly 150,000 students abroad.
The country’s infrastructure is also being developed and upgraded, including expansion of the railway system, introduction of a new light rail mass transit project with metro lines, and of a community bus network in the major cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah.
With Vision 2030 serving as a blueprint, the Kingdom is working on the strategic objective of welcoming 30 million pilgrims each year to perform Hajj and Umrah. The third phase of expansion of the Grand Mosque, launched by King Salman, is making good progress. Expansion of the building itself covers 1.47 million square meters, including 78 new gates. The various new infrastructure and transportation projects are shaping up beautifully.
In Madinah, the Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport was inaugurated by King Salman in 2015. The new King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah is expected to be fully operational in a few months.
The Haramain Railroad, which has been undergoing testing for the last four months, will be fully operational later this year. It will shorten the journey time between the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah to a couple of hours, with a capacity of 60 million passenger per year.
As we focus on the development of our country and bringing about prosperity for our people, we continue to face challenges in our region, and continue our responsible role as a peace-loving nation. Political and economic stability in the Middle East and around the world is one of Saudi Arabia’s greatest priorities.
Peace, stability, non-interference, good neighborliness and regional prosperity will continue to be our guiding principles. My country will continue its leading role in countering extremism and terrorism and their supporters.
The Kingdom has maintained its pioneering role in spreading goodwill and compassion beyond its borders, by being at the forefront of the international community in terms of the share of GDP earmarked for humanitarian aid.
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief), since it was established in 2015, has provided humanitarian and development aid worth more than $1.9 billion to more than 37 countries on four continents. It has implemented more than 450 projects in the areas of food security, housing and shelter, preventative health care and education.
India is one of our most important strategic partners. In all aspects, our ties have grown and expanded. In the spheres of cultural ties and people-to-people connections, earlier this year India was the guest of honor at the Kingdom’s National Heritage Festival, and Saudi Arabia hosts more than 3.2 million Indian nationals, forming an important pillar of our relationship.
Our energy cooperation and joint investments are set to grow further, and our security cooperation is getting stronger. The partnership between our two friendly countries will certainly continue to grow further in the coming years.
• Dr. Saud Mohammed Al-Sati is Saudi Arabia's ambassador to India
