RIYADH: The Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) has inked more than 6,000 industrial, logistic and services contracts for investments that exceed SR600 billion ($160 billion) and provide job opportunities for more than 520,000 employees.
Sami Al-Hussaini, official spokesperson of MODON, told Asharq Al-Awsat that factories in the industrial zones have registered a remarkable rise during 2015, in addition to the completed and under-construction industrial projects, noting that MODON has enhanced the attraction of industrial investment.
Al-Hussaini noted that the authority has managed 35 industrial cities by the end of 2015 after it joined the development and operation of the industrial zone in Waad Al-Shamal Region.
These industrial cities are characterized by their geographical spread across the Kingdom, which is one of MODON’s main goals, he added.
According to the official spokesman, the manufacturing industries’ contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) reached 12.2 percent compared to 10.8 percent in 2014. He continued that these industries’ values reached around SR299 billion by the end of 2015.
Al-Hussaini asserted that the visit of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the United States and France marked a remarkable step toward the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030 through the inauguration of strategic partnerships with leading companies aiming at importing knowledge and technique, Saudization of expertise in the fields of manufacturing, maintenance, research, development, and the promotion of digital transformation.
The prince has inked an agreement with Cisco Systems International, one of the biggest technology companies in the world of information industry, and launched negotiations with Dow Chemicals and industries working in retail and modern commerce, he stated.
The spokesman of MODON said that the national infrastructure is ready to embrace these major projects through their planning and executing expertise.
Al-Hussaini also revealed that developed industrial lands have registered a growth that jumped from 40.5 sqm in 2007 to 182.5 sqm in 2015.
MODON adopts a flexible strategy in providing manufacturers with lands according to a specific mechanism and special services, and spreading more industrial cities in different regions in the Kingdom, which decreased pending demands in 2015 to 11, compared to 1,525 in 2012, he added.
Al-Hussaini stated that the authority manages the development and operation of private industrial cities and technological zones based on its role in regulating and encouraging the establishment of such projects in industrial lands owned by the public and private sector and to encourage the private sector on participating in different activities related to those cities.
As part of enhancing this vital role, MODON works on recruiting the developers who aim at establishing private industrial cities by providing significant incentives and facilitations.
In this concern, Al-Hussaini revealed that MODON has succeeded over the past years in attracting manufacturers and in authorizing the establishment of new private industrial cities that comprise around 86 manufactures.
MODON signs 6,000 contracts worth SR600bn
MODON signs 6,000 contracts worth SR600bn
Closing Bell: Saudi Arabia’s main index closes in red at 10,364
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index closed lower on Sunday, shedding 185.05 points, or 1.75 percent, to end the session at 10,364.03.
Total trading turnover on the benchmark index stood at SR2.55 billion ($680 million), with 20 stocks advancing and 237 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also retreated, falling 0.63 percent, or 147.19 points, to close at 23,371.82.
The MSCI Tadawul Index slipped 1.71 percent to 1,369.56.
Saudi Industrial Export Co. was the top gainer on the main market, with its share price jumping 9.87 percent to SR2.56.
Shares of Naqi Water Co. rose 2.53 percent to SR58.80, while Shatirah House Restaurant Co. advanced 2.18 percent to SR9.39.
On the downside, Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. posted the steepest decline, with its share price falling 4.61 percent to SR10.14.
On the announcements front, Scientific & Medical Equipment House Co. said it had been awarded a contract valued at SR260.98 million by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to supply uncooked food materials and catering items to beneficiaries at the ministry’s residential branches across the Kingdom.
The project scope also includes providing cooked meals to selected anti-begging offices over a 24-month period, according to a Tadawul statement. The company added that the financial impact of the contract will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
It said further developments would be disclosed in due course after all relevant parties sign the final contract and a copy is received.
Shares of Scientific & Medical Equipment House Co. edged up 0.31 percent to SR32.44.
Separately, Dr. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Co. and its subsidiaries signed an agreement with Oloof Development Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazan Municipality, to lease a strategic land plot in Jazan City for SR217.99 million.
According to a Tadawul statement, the land, which spans 34,581 sq. meters, will be used to develop an integrated healthcare facility under a 50-year lease.
The company said the financial impact of the agreement is expected to begin once the medical facility is completed and becomes operational.
Shares of Dr. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Co. fell 1.92 percent to SR33.74.
