Saudi Arabia is sharing its experience in business environment reforms with the world through the knowledge center established in partnership with the World Bank Group, which aims to promote peer learning among countries on best practices in this field.
The knowledge center serves as a dynamic international platform enabling countries to draw on the World Bank Group’s vast expertise alongside Saudi Arabia’s rich practical experience. It focuses on enhancing competitiveness and diversifying economic activity.
Workshops kicked off on Tuesday for a three-day program with participation from four countries — Zambia, The Gambia, Jordan, and Iraq — to study Saudi Arabia’s experience in business registration and licensing.
The Kingdom has been a pioneer in streamlining and accelerating company registration through the Saudi Business Center, which serves as an advanced model for integrating government services.
The Saudi Business Center facilitates procedures for starting, operating, and closing economic activities while providing all related services in line with international best practices.
It was established by a 2019 Cabinet decision and operates under the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.
Economic Reforms
Vice Minister of Commerce and CEO of the National Competitiveness Center Dr. Iman Al-Mutairi said Vision 2030 has driven an unprecedented transformation in the Saudi economy.
She noted that the Kingdom’s partnership with the World Bank Group led to the creation of the Knowledge Center initiative to strengthen international cooperation, accelerate sustainable development in beneficiary countries, and help them achieve their growth objectives.
Dr. Al-Mutairi added that Saudi Arabia has implemented more than 900 economic reforms since 2016 in collaboration with 65 government entities, and issued or updated about 1,200 regulations and bylaws.
These efforts, she said, have positioned the Saudi business environment among the world’s most attractive destinations for investors and entrepreneurs.
She stressed that the Saudi Business Center stands as a leading global model and a source of inspiration for countries seeking to establish unified entities that serve the private sector efficiently and effectively.
Knowledge Exchange
Program Manager of the World Bank Group–Saudi Arabia Knowledge Hub in Riyadh Ali Abu Kumail told Asharq Al-Awsat that the center, launched this year in Saudi Arabia, “aims to facilitate knowledge transfer among countries in economic development and build shared learning.”
He explained that the initiative seeks both to “highlight the capabilities Saudi Arabia has developed in recent years and share them with other nations,” and to “benefit from those countries’ development experiences.”
Abu Kumail described the event as “the first of its kind among regions,” bringing together Zambia, The Gambia, Jordan, and Iraq to explore Saudi Arabia’s “business registration and licensing experience.”
He noted that the Kingdom has made significant strides in recent years by simplifying and expediting registration procedures.
Workshops
Abu Kumail said the workshops aim to “enable participating countries to gain firsthand insight into Saudi Arabia’s registration and licensing mechanisms” through the Saudi Business Center, which represents an advanced model of government service integration.
He added that the center’s establishment coincides with the 50th anniversary of the World Bank’s partnership with Saudi Arabia. The program, he said, has a three-and-a-half-year plan featuring annual activities with countries from Africa and the Middle East to exchange expertise and produce research reports and indicators to help nations enhance their business environments.
According to Abu Kumail, cooperation areas under the knowledge center will focus on competitiveness and economic diversification, including issues such as competition, innovation, and industrial and economic development — all in line with Vision 2030. The initiative, he said, also offers other countries the opportunity to learn from Saudi Arabia’s reform experience.
Jordanian Experience
Jordan’s Companies General Controller Dr. Wael Armouti said the workshop provided a valuable opportunity to learn from “Saudi Arabia’s advanced experience in business registration and licensing,” describing it as “one of the most developed in the region.”
He added that Jordan also shared its own experience, noting that company registration there can now be completed “in less than a working day,” with limited liability companies established “in as little as one hour.”
Licensing procedures for small and medium enterprises, he said, have also been simplified and are handled by municipalities and local authorities, ensuring that all processes are now “on the right track to facilitate business startups.”
The launch of the first knowledge center workshop marks a practical step toward deepening knowledge exchange among nations and underscores Saudi Arabia’s leadership in building competitive and investor-friendly business environments.
The center’s future activities are expected to generate joint research projects and international reports that support sustainable economic development and accelerate business environment reforms across the Middle East and Africa.
