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Riyadh Explores Agricultural Investment Opportunities in Africa

The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture during his visit to Nigeria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture during his visit to Nigeria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh Explores Agricultural Investment Opportunities in Africa

The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture during his visit to Nigeria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture during his visit to Nigeria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia recently concluded agreements with a number of African countries with the aim to achieve sustainable agricultural development and promote food security.

The moves come at a time when global grain supplies are expected to be lower next season, paving the way for higher agricultural commodity prices, while economies are still suffering from deep-rooted inflation, according to US outlooks.

Saudi-African relations have witnessed remarkable development during the recent period. The Kingdom and several African countries have agreed to support and develop joint bilateral relations in all fields, especially the agricultural sector.

At the end of 2023, the Kingdom hosted the Saudi-African Summit to boost joint cooperation and mutual strategic partnership.

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdul Rahman Al-Fadhli carried out last week a visit to Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Ghana where he explored future investment opportunities and prospects for cooperation.

Al-Fadhli agreed with Senegalese Prime Minister Ousman Sonko to strengthen and develop bilateral relations in the fields of agriculture, food security, fisheries and livestock.

He also discussed with Ivorian Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani aspects of joint cooperation in the fields of agricultural investment, livestock and food security to bolster future investment opportunities.

The Saudi minister held an extensive meeting with representatives of the Ivorian private sector to learn about the most prominent companies and their products, in addition to identifying agricultural investment opportunities that benefit both countries.

In addition, Al-Fadhli reviewed with Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari investment opportunities in the sector, and means to increase the prospects for joint trade and economic cooperation.

The meeting discussed aspects of joint cooperation between the two countries in all fields, with a focus on enhancing mutual work in agriculture and food security, and reviewing the available investment opportunities, taking advantage of their natural wealth, including the vast area and rich natural diversity, in addition to agricultural resources and food products.

Ghana was the last leg in the African tour, where Al-Fadhli discussed aspects of joint cooperation with Minister of Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong and reviewed investment opportunities in the field of agriculture, livestock, and food manufacturing.

The officials agreed to facilitate the work of investors to achieve common interests and increase the volume of economic partnerships.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Economic and Academic Analyst at King Faisal University, Dr. Mohammad Al-Qahtani said a number of African states, including, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast, are witnessing remarkable economic growth.

This has encouraged Saudi authorities to strengthen bilateral cooperation with them and to benefit from the Kingdom’s strategic location that forms a bridge between three continents and plays a major role in the global logistics process, he underlined.

Al-Qahtani added that Saudi Arabia will act as a logistical gateway to the most important African countries, stressing the importance of increasing investments in agriculture, especially strategic commodities, such as cocoa and coffee, which will boost exports and the global trade movement.

He stated that the Kingdom has great research expertise in the field of agriculture and food, expecting that it will harness agricultural research centers to explore new crops that will help African countries and the region achieve food security.

Saudi Arabia is taking advantage of its strategic location through its many ports by investing in the process of digitization and logistical intelligence, which makes it at the top of the global competition to connect the East and the West, the analyst remarked.

Business development advisor and academic Dr. Saleh Al-Turki explained that the recent tour conducted by Minister Al-Fadhli is an important step to benefit from the agreements concluded by Saudi Arabia with some African states that participated in the African Summit at the end of 2023.

He added that the agreements concluded during the visit will help in achieving sustainable agricultural development in Saudi Arabia.

Many Saudi companies and institutions specialized in the field of food security will benefit from these partnerships, Al-Turki stressed, pointing to the important role of scientific research and training in national universities, such as King Faisal University, in supervising food security programs.

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Business

China's Finance Ministry: Fiscal Policies Will be More 'Proactive' in 2026

A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
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China's Finance Ministry: Fiscal Policies Will be More 'Proactive' in 2026

A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO

China's finance ministry on Sunday said fiscal policies will be more proactive next year, reiterating its focus on domestic demand, technological innovation and a social safety net.

The statement comes as trading partners urge the world's second-biggest economy to reduce its reliance on exports, underscoring the urgency to revive confidence at home where a prolonged property crisis has rippled ⁠through the economy, weighing on sentiment.

China will boost consumption and actively expand investment in new productive forces and people's overall development, the ministry said in a statement after a two-day meeting at which it set ⁠2026 goals.

In addition, Reuters quoted the ministry as saying that it will support innovation to foster new growth engines, and improve the social security system by providing better healthcare and education services.

Other tasks for next year include promoting integration between urban and rural areas, and propelling China's transformation into a greener society.

China is likely to stick to ⁠its annual economic growth target of around 5% in 2026, government advisers and analysts told Reuters, a goal that would require authorities to keep fiscal and monetary spigots open as they seek to snap a deflationary spell.

Leaders this month promised to maintain a "proactive" fiscal policy next year that would stimulate both consumption and investment to maintain high economic growth.

Business

Bulgaria Adopts Euro Amid Fear and Uncertainty

Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
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Bulgaria Adopts Euro Amid Fear and Uncertainty

Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)

Bulgaria will become the 21st country to adopt the euro on Thursday, but some believe the move could bring higher prices and add to instability in the European Union's poorest country.

A protest campaign emerged this year to "keep the Bulgarian lev", playing on public fears of price rises and a generally negative view of the euro among much of the population.

But successive governments have pushed to join the eurozone and supporters insist it will boost the economy, reinforce ties to the West and protect against Russia's influence.

The single currency first rolled out in 12 countries on January 1, 2002, and has since regularly extended its influence, with Croatia the last country to join in 2023.

But Bulgaria faces unique challenges, including anti-corruption protests that recently swept a conservative-led government from office, leaving the country on the verge of its eighth election in five years.

Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute, which has tracked public opinion on the euro for a year, told AFP any problems with euro adoption would be seized on by anti-EU politicians.

Any issues will become "part of the political campaign, which creates a basis for rhetoric directed against the EU", she said.

While far-right and pro-Russia parties have been behind several anti-euro protests, many people, especially in poor rural areas, worry about the new currency.

"Prices will go up. That's what friends of mine who live in Western Europe told me," Bilyana Nikolova, 53, who runs a grocery store in the village of Chuprene in northwestern Bulgaria, told AFP.

The latest survey by the EU's polling agency Eurobarometer suggested 49 percent of Bulgarians were against the single currency.

After hyperinflation in the 1990s, Bulgaria pegged its currency to the German mark and then to the euro, making the country dependent on the European Central Bank (ECB).

"It will now finally be able to take part in decision making within this monetary union," Georgi Angelov, senior economist at the Open Society Institute in Sofia, told AFP.

An EU member since 2007, Bulgaria joined the so-called "waiting room" to the single currency in 2020, at the same time as Croatia.

The gains of joining the euro are "substantial", ECB president Christine Lagarde said last month in Sofia, citing "smoother trade, lower financing costs and more stable prices".

Small and medium-sized enterprises stand to save an equivalent of some 500 million euros ($580 million) in exchange fees, she added.

One sector expected to benefit in the Black Sea nation is tourism, which this year generated around eight percent of the country's GDP.

Lagarde predicted the impact on consumer prices would be "modest and short-lived", saying in earlier euro changeovers, the impact was between 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points.

But consumers -- already struggling with inflation -- fear they will not be able to make ends meet, according to Dimitrova.

Food prices in November were up five percent year-on-year, according to the National Statistical Institute, more than double the eurozone average.

Parliament this year adopted empowered oversight bodies to investigate sharp price hikes and curb "unjustified" surges linked to the euro changeover.

But analysts fear wider political uncertainty risks delaying much needed anti-corruption reforms, which could have a knock-on effect on the wider economy.

"The challenge will be to have a stable government for at least one to two years, so we can fully reap the benefits of joining the euro area," Angelov said.

Business

Syria Prepares to Launch New Currency Amid Major Challenges

Syrian Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husrieh (X)
Syrian Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husrieh (X)
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Syria Prepares to Launch New Currency Amid Major Challenges

Syrian Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husrieh (X)
Syrian Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husrieh (X)

Syria’s central bank governor, Abdulkader Husrieh, said the new Syrian pound is not merely a means of exchange but a symbol of the success of the Syrian revolution, national belonging, and confidence in the country’s ability to recover.

In a Facebook post, Husrieh said that with the launch of the new currency, Syrians were not just celebrating a banknote, but also celebrating their sovereignty and national identity, noting that many international experiences show that national currencies become strong when people rally around them, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

He pointed to Germany’s experience, where the introduction of the mark after the war marked the starting point of economic recovery, and to France, where the new French franc became the financial symbol of the new republic, known as the Fifth Republic.

Husrieh said the central bank would carry out its role with a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities, while committing to responsibility, transparency, and the protection of the national currency. He added that the cornerstone remains public solidarity and trust, because a strong currency begins with the people's belief in it.

He called for turning the launch into a dignified national occasion through which Syrians express awareness, confidence, and adherence to the pound as a symbol of sovereignty and a national choice.

Husrieh added that supporting the pound is supporting the nation, and taking pride in it is a matter of pride in the future for Syrians and their children. He described the move as an opportunity for a new success following the success of the revolution in liberation and the lifting of economic sanctions that had shackled Syria’s economy for nearly fifty years.

Husrieh had recently announced that Jan. 1, 2026, would mark the launch of the new Syrian currency and the start of the exchange process for the old notes, with the exchange to be carried out through 66 companies and 1,000 designated outlets.

Restoring confidence

Political and economic researcher Bassel Kouwefi said the exchange plans, if well implemented, could serve as an entry point for rebuilding confidence in the national economy, encouraging domestic investment, and paving the way for broader reforms in the financial sector. However, he warned against failing to address the root causes of inflation and economic collapse during the previous regime's rule.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Kouwefi described currency exchange and the removal of zeros as complex economic measures.

He said their main benefits include simplifying daily transactions, reducing the volume of banknotes in circulation, boosting confidence in stability, lowering printing and transportation costs, simplifying accounting records and financial software, and reducing currency speculation driven by corruption networks seeking to undermine stability in Syria.

Kouwefi said the exchange plans, if well-executed, could help restore confidence in the macroeconomy, but stressed the challenges posed by failing to tackle the fundamental causes of past inflation and collapse, including fiscal deficits, instability, and weak production. He said a comprehensive economic and financial program was therefore essential.

He added that the process also requires strong banking infrastructure, an organized transition period, and sufficient liquidity in the new denominations.

He said these remain major challenges under current Syrian conditions, alongside the need to mitigate social impacts that could lead to public confusion, market exploitation, and difficulties for less informed segments of society.