RIYADH: Britain has pledged its fullest cooperation with Saudi Arabia to achieve the aims of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020.
Baroness Symons, co-chair of the Saudi-British Joint Business Council, said in Dammam that with the UK leaving the EU, her country intends to build new partnerships with private-sector companies in the Kingdom.
She spoke to Arab News following the Saudi/UK SME Partnership Forum organized by the Saudi-British Joint Business Council in Dammam. Her visit to Saudi Arabia coincides with that of British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Sheikh Nasser Al-Mutawa Al-Otaibi, co-chair of the Saudi-British Joint Business Council, also addressed the event.
Baroness Symons announced that there will be a follow-up meeting to be held soon in London. The Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector is seen as a key area in which the UK could cooperate and contribute its expertise, as well as one in which a large number of local youths could be employed.
Al-Otaibi said the event followed a forum for Saudi-British tech entrepreneurs held in London in 2015.
“Small business creation and technology innovation are vital to the growth of both our economies, and Saudi Vision 2030 has set important goals in this respect,” Al-Otaibi added.
He pointed out that Saudi private-sector firms look forward to exchanging experience on how SMEs can best access energy industry supply chains, for mutually beneficial partnership, as well as benefiting from finance and other support.
Support for innovative smaller companies and technology partnerships was the focus of this week’s forum.
The event brought together some 100 Saudi and British SMEs interested in forming partnerships and meeting potential clients.
Among the keynote speakers were Dr. Ghassan Al-Sulaiman, governor of Saudi Arabia’s newly established General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises; Fahd Al-Sukait of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs; and Abdulaziz Al-Abdulkarim, vice president of procurement and supply chain management at Saudi Aramco.
The 40-strong UK delegation included leading energy companies based in Saudi Arabia such as Petrofac, Amec Foster Wheeler and Wood Group. A Scottish oil and gas mission organized by Scottish Development International also participated.
UK to cooperate with Saudi Arabia over Vision 2030 plan
UK to cooperate with Saudi Arabia over Vision 2030 plan
Children’s Theater Festival opens in Qassim region
- To develop future ‘cultural architects,’ says CEO Khaled Al-Baz
- ‘Nurture creativity, aesthetic awareness and sense of belonging’
BURAIDAH: The Qassim Children’s Theater Festival opened on Tuesday bringing together professionals from across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
The event is being held under the patronage of Prince Dr. Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, governor of Qassim, at the Science Center in Unaizah governorate.
It has been Organized by the Theater and Performing Arts Association and executed by the Unaizah Theater Association, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Running until Jan. 31, it features shows, panel discussions, as well as training workshops to develop children’s theater and strengthen professional skills in the field.
Khaled Al-Baz, CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Association, told the SPA the festival forms part of a broader strategy to position children’s theater as a distinct cultural sector.
“Children today constitute genuine audiences — tomorrow’s cultural architects,” Al-Baz said.
Ahmed Al-Humaimidi, president of the Unaizah Theater Association, said it was an investment in young people, noting that it extends beyond performances to include cultural and educational programming.
He said the initiative aims to nurture creativity, aesthetic awareness and a sense of belonging, while also identifying emerging talent and encouraging knowledge exchange among theater practitioners.
“Our association recognizes children’s theater as foundational to cultivating aware, creative character,” he said.
The festival serves as both an artistic showcase and a platform for professional dialogue, reflecting the Kingdom’s expanding cultural landscape and growing focus on children’s theater as an educational and cultural tool, the SPA noted.
This occurs alongside support for signature initiatives and performing arts promotion as quality-of-life enhancement.
