RIYADH: An official Saudi delegation headed by the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar Al-Khorayef, is set to visit Australia next week to introduce investment opportunities in the Kingdom’s mining sector, under the umbrella of “Invest in Saudi Arabia,” Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
The delegation includes a number of ministry leaders, led by Deputy Minister for Mining Khalid Al-Mudaifer, and representatives of the Ministry of Investment, the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, the Saudi Geological Survey, the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, and the Industrial Center.
The delegation will visit four cities, including Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, and will also participate in the International Mining and Resources Conference in Sydney from Nov. 2 to 4.
Al-Khorayef is expected to speak during the opening ceremony of the conference, which is a platform for mining leaders from around the world to discuss the future of mining and issues related to technology and finance.
He is also scheduled to open the Saudi pavilion at the conference, which will highlight the Kingdom’s continuous efforts to advance the mining sector by facilitating access to geological data, and updates made to regulations and legislation to create an attractive climate for investments, build foundations for sustainability, and develop a mining sector based on integrated value chains, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The Saudi delegation will also hold a number of meetings with mining and exploration companies, universities, research institutions, industrial bodies, geological societies and business councils in Australia, and will hold sessions to review investment opportunities in the Kingdom to establish a strategic relationship with stakeholders in Australia’s mining sector, across four main areas related to the development of the mining sector, including politics and governance, innovation and geology, investment, and education.
“The Kingdom affirms its keenness, through its participation in IMARC, to cooperate with mining and exploration companies to support growth across the various value chain processes from exploration to manufacturing, and hopes to achieve an integrated value chain capable of supporting the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the transformation of the energy sector,” SPA said.
The Kingdom’s participation is of importance as “it occupies a strategic location linking the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe, in addition to its advanced infrastructure and high domestic demand,” it added. “The Kingdom also possesses all the ingredients necessary to be a regional center for mining, in order to achieve the Kingdom’s 2030 goals and attract qualitative investments to the mining sector.”
Australia is home to a global investment environment in the mining sector and shares Saudi Arabia’s strategic vision for a resilient global mining value chain capable of meeting the demands of a clean energy-based future, and the Kingdom is keen to establish and strengthen strategic relationships with Australian counterparts to push research, innovation and growth to make mining the third pillar of the national industry.
The ministry said that non-oil exports between the two countries last year reached over SR6.22 billion ($1.6 billion).
Saudi delegation to boost mining investments and support innovation during visit to Australia
https://arab.news/b32n9
Saudi delegation to boost mining investments and support innovation during visit to Australia
- The delegation will visit four cities, including Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney
- It will also participate in the International Mining and Resources Conference in Sydney from Nov. 2 to 4
Trucks and vehicles crossing Saudi Arabia’s ports up 24% in 2025, reaching 4.7m
RIYADH: The number of trucks and vehicles entering and exiting through Saudi customs ports jumped to 4.7 million in 2025, recording annual growth of 24 percent compared with 2024, according to the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority in statements to Al Eqtisadiah.
Specialists in the logistics services sector attributed the increase to transformation in the field, starting with raising the efficiency of ports, speeding up procedures, and adopting unified platforms to facilitate processes for importers and exporters.
The authority reported that the total number of trucks and vehicles that crossed Saudi customs ports over the past three years exceeded 11.8 million trucks and vehicles, with an annual average of 4 million, of which 6.3 million were incoming vehicles and 5.5 million were outgoing.
Five ports recorded the largest share of truck and vehicle traffic: Al Batha, Al Haditha, King Fahd Causeway, Al Khafji, and Salwa, which are all considered key arteries for interregional and regional trade movement.
The authority indicated that customs ports completed procedures last year for 2.6 million trucks and vehicles arriving in Saudi Arabia, in addition to 2.1 million trucks and vehicles departing, reflecting the efficiency of procedures and the speed of completing customs operations.
On the operational side, land, sea, and air ports completed procedures for 2.5 million containers and cleared 7 million customs declarations, alongside the authority’s expansion in developing procedures and programs that support the flow of goods.
Chief among these was the launch of the updated version of the Saudi Authorized Economic Operator Program, with the participation of 14 government entities.
The program contributed to increasing the number of registered establishments from 560 establishments in 2024 to 753 by the end of 2025, a growth rate of 34.5 percent, enhancing the reliability of supply chains and raising the efficiency of logistics operations in line with global best practices.
Smart platforms and ports behind the growth
Supply chain and operations management consultant Khaled Al-Zahrani explained that these positive indicators do not only reflect growth in traffic volume, but also expansion in the application of digital solutions and the linking of entities through unified platforms, which helped reduce operating costs for importers and exporters.
Logistics specialist Nashmi Al-Harbi said that the efficiency of customs ports indicates the development of digital and operational infrastructure through faster procedures and building trust with trading partners, which reduces customs clearance time and enhances supply chain flexibility.
In turn, Sami Al-Otaibi, a specialist in logistics services and customs clearance, explained that infrastructure projects and smart ports have begun to yield tangible results on the ground.
