JEDDAH: The Maaden Mining Co. on Tuesday announced a partnership agreement to establish a new women’s training program to develop the mining skills of Saudi women.
The program was one of Maaden’s social initiatives, which cost SR20 million ($5.33 million).
Maaden, in cooperation with the Saudi government through the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, is seeking to achieve its vision of leading the mineral industry to become the third pillar of industry after oil and petrochemicals in the Kingdom.
Maaden’s partners are SABIC, Alcoa, the Mosaic Co., Barrick Gold Corp. and Sahara Petrochemicals Co.
Maaden established a cultural center launched by Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman on Dec. 19 at Mahd Ad-Dhahab, which is the leading gold mining area in the Arabian Peninsula. It is located in Al-Madinah province, in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia.t
The vice president of the gold sector at the Saudi Arabian Mining Co., Yahya Al-Shangiti, said that the company fosters other initiatives for people of the province in many other sectors.
Al-Shangiti told Arab News about establishing and marketing the emerging projects for women in the mining sector.
“Maaden’s role was mainly in building and equipping the cultural center in addition to funding part of the women’s training program,” he said. “An agreement was signed with Namaa Al-Munawwarah Charity for the operations. They are now working on a women’s jewelry training program to train them in goldsmith skills in Madinah.”
Namaa Al-Munawwarah was established as a non-profit organization to provide support to small and medium enterprises.
The mining industry is known to be male dominated, but there is a chance to give Saudi women qualifications to work in the field.
Al-Shangiti said: “The work in the mines is very hard. Where we work underground is 400 meters deep, and globally the number of women in this field is limited.”
He added: “It is possible for women to occupy administrative positions in mining rather than working as a miner in the future.”
Saudi women to work in mining industry
Saudi women to work in mining industry
Prince Faisal leads Saudi WEF delegation in Davos, highlights need for global cooperation
- Private sector, govt must work together to ensure long-term prosperity, Kingdom’s FM says
- 56th World Economic Forum annual meeting expected to draw 3,000 participants from almost 130 countries
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s participation at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos next week reflects its commitment to strengthening international cooperation to address global economic challenges, while supporting regional stability and sustainable development, the Kingdom’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia believes close cooperation between governments and the private sector is essential to achieving sustainable development and long-term prosperity.
He added that the Kingdom will continue expanding cooperation with international partners at WEF and beyond to better confront economic and environmental challenges.
Prince Faisal said the Davos forum provided an important platform to enhance collaboration in areas such as institutional and human capacity-building, innovation, technology and scientific research, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
He highlighted the Kingdom’s focus on developing new business models to boost competitiveness and create investment opportunities.
Led by Prince Faisal, a high-level Saudi delegation will attend the forum, which runs from Jan. 19-23 under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue.”
The delegation includes senior ministers responsible for finance, investment, economy and planning, commerce, tourism, industry and mineral resources, and communications and information technology, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the US, Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud.
Saudi officials will participate in bilateral meetings and public sessions to share the Kingdom’s experience under Vision 2030 and engage with leaders from government, business, and civil society on global stability and prosperity, SPA added.
Saudi House will also return to Davos in 2026 after its debut last year, hosting more than 20 sessions focused on themes including investment, human capability, quality of life, and global collaboration.
The 56th WEF annual meeting is expected to draw around 3,000 participants from nearly 130 countries, including about 60 heads of state and government.
