عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Saudi Fund for Development Moves to Globalize Private Sector, Expand Local Content Abroad

The Saudi capital (SPA) 
The Saudi capital (SPA) 
TT
TT

Saudi Fund for Development Moves to Globalize Private Sector, Expand Local Content Abroad

The Saudi capital (SPA) 
The Saudi capital (SPA) 

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) is intensifying strategic efforts to integrate Saudi private-sector companies into major international development projects financed by the Kingdom, in a move designed to expand the global footprint of Saudi businesses and strengthen local content abroad.

The initiative targets Saudi contractors, engineering firms, suppliers, and consulting companies, enabling them to secure operational shares in international markets while prioritizing Saudi-made products and services beyond the kingdom’s borders. The effort aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify income sources and enhance non-oil economic growth.

The current portfolio of projects includes several international tenders across multiple continents. Among the most prominent are the construction and outfitting of the National Blood Transfusion Center in the Comoros, as well as the fifth phase of the Saudi Program for Well Drilling and Rural Development in Uganda.

Additional opportunities include major agricultural and environmental projects in Tunisia, notably the second phase of the Integrated Agricultural Development Project in Ghazala, Joumine, and Sejnane. Other tenders involve coastal protection works to combat marine erosion along the stretch from Gammarth to Carthage, in addition to a polyethylene pipeline distribution network project.

In the academic sector, the fund is also offering Saudi firms the opportunity to compete for civil works contracts related to the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus project in Antigua and Barbuda.

The SFD has invited interested Saudi companies to access tender documents through its official website, emphasizing that it is coordinating directly with relevant authorities to provide technical and logistical support for local investors once procurement procedures are completed.

The move builds on the fund’s longstanding support for the private sector through the Saudi Export Program, which provides credit facilities and financing guarantees aimed at boosting Saudi exports and increasing the participation of national companies in overseas development projects.

The fund has also conducted assessments of the key challenges facing Saudi firms operating abroad, following requests for investors to identify obstacles hindering local content expansion and the prioritization of Saudi products in international projects.

Over the past five decades, the Saudi Fund for Development has financed nearly 800 development projects and programs worth more than SAR 81 billion ($21.6 billion) in over 100 developing countries. The scale of these investments reflects growing opportunities for Saudi contractors, engineering consultancies, and suppliers to expand their international presence and investment reach worldwide.

 

 

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

COP31 in Antalya: From Pledges to Investment

Murat Kurum, Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President of COP 31, during the press conference in Istanbul. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Murat Kurum, Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President of COP 31, during the press conference in Istanbul. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

COP31 in Antalya: From Pledges to Investment

Murat Kurum, Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President of COP 31, during the press conference in Istanbul. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Murat Kurum, Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President of COP 31, during the press conference in Istanbul. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Türkiye plans to make implementation of climate commitments and financing a central focus of its presidency of the UN COP31 climate conference, seeking to move negotiations from agreements and pledges toward concrete projects and investments as energy security, debt, extreme weather and the development needs of emerging economies increasingly intersect.

Türkiye’s presidency will pursue three main pillars, “dialogue, consensus and action”, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum explained.

He stressed that success in Antalya would be measured not only by the decisions reached, but by the ability to turn them into viable projects, attract financing and deliver results people can see in their daily lives.

At a news conference Friday, Kurum noted that climate change could no longer be treated as a separate environmental issue, but had become closely linked to energy, industry, cities, trade, water and development, amid the growing impact of heat waves, extreme weather and threats to food and water security.

Communities, he added, want to see the impact of climate decisions on the ground, and the world must move from “words to implementation.” While the Paris Agreement established an important path for climate action, the challenge in its second decade is the speed with which decisions and commitments are carried out.

Dialogue, consensus and action

Kurum argued that lasting results require listening to different parties, finding common ground and translating consensus into practical steps.

Türkiye wants COP31 to become a turning point by “turning words into projects, projects into investments, and investments into results that affect people’s lives,” he added.

Ankara has begun broad consultations with the UN system, governments, financial institutions, cities and the private sector to identify obstacles to implementation. Those consultations helped shape an “Action Agenda” focused on areas including clean energy, electricity, cities, industry, youth and food.

Financing at the forefront

Kurum placed climate finance at the top of Türkiye’s priorities, emphasizing that the challenge is no longer limited to announcing how much money will be made available, but ensuring that it reaches the countries and projects that need it at the right time.

He pointed to delays in meeting the previous pledge to provide developing countries with $100 billion annually, noting that the experience showed that confidence in the financing system depends on pledged funds actually reaching projects.

COP29 in Baku concluded with an agreement to raise the financing target for developing countries to at least $300 billion a year by 2035, while working to increase climate finance flows from public and private sources to $1.3 trillion annually.

Kurum described a global paradox in which capital is seeking investment opportunities while climate investment needs are enormous, yet the two “do not always meet.”

Many developing countries, he explained, have potential and projects but need technical and technological support, as well as help preparing projects so they can attract financing.

Türkiye’s presidency is therefore working on mechanisms to turn climate needs into investable projects, particularly in cities, water and infrastructure, and connect them with financial institutions and investors.

Private sector and the most vulnerable countries

Kurum underscored Türkiye’s aim of securing strong private-sector participation in Antalya, particularly from companies with climate technologies and solutions.

At the same time, he stressed that the needs of least-developed countries and small island developing states must remain at the heart of discussions, especially in terms of access to financing.

Türkiye will also bring its domestic experience to COP31, including its 2053 net-zero target and policies on the circular economy, waste management, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Kurum also cited Türkiye’s reconstruction of earthquake-hit areas, noting that the country had completed and delivered around 455,000 housing units over two years, with an emphasis on disaster resilience and energy efficiency.

Kurum outlined plans to link the Action Agenda to measurable goals through 2035, including raising electricity’s share of global energy consumption to 35%, reducing waste-related resource consumption by 25% and increasing the use of secondary and recycled materials in industry to 15%.

Türkiye wants COP31 to mark the beginning of a phase in which climate action shifts more decisively from negotiation to implementation, with success measured by the ability to turn “words into projects, projects into investments, and investments into results.”

Business

Fitch Keeps Qatar at 'AA'

The skyline of illuminated high-rise buildings is seen along the Corniche Promenade in Doha on September 4, 2026. (AFP)
The skyline of illuminated high-rise buildings is seen along the Corniche Promenade in Doha on September 4, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Fitch Keeps Qatar at 'AA'

The skyline of illuminated high-rise buildings is seen along the Corniche Promenade in Doha on September 4, 2026. (AFP)
The skyline of illuminated high-rise buildings is seen along the Corniche Promenade in Doha on September 4, 2026. (AFP)

Global ratings ‌agency Fitch removed Qatar from "Rating Watch Negative" and maintained its sovereign rating at "AA" on Friday, citing reduced risks to its LNG facilities since March.

However, the agency kept Qatar's outlook at "negative", citing lingering risks from the disruption of LNG exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The impact of the war on the credit profile will take longer to discern," the ⁠agency said in a statement.

One of ‌the world's largest liquefied natural gas exporters, Qatar ‌has been dealing with disruptions ‌to exports through the Strait of Hormuz and shortages linked to damage at energy facilities.

The affirmation comes months after Fitch ‌warned of a downgrade of the Qatar sovereign as concerns about ⁠the ⁠security and economic fallout from the Iran war intensified.

Peers S&P and Moody's had also affirmed Qatar earlier this year, saying the country's "sizable" fiscal profile cushions the impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Business

Jeddah to Host Saudi Industry Forum 2026 from September 14 to 16

A view of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
TT
TT

Jeddah to Host Saudi Industry Forum 2026 from September 14 to 16

A view of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Under the patronage of Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Jeddah will host the second edition of the Saudi Industry Forum 2026 from September 14 to 16 at Jeddah Superdome, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.

The forum is organized by the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce, represented by the National Committee of Industry, in cooperation with the Jeddah Chamber.

The forum is held in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and its ecosystem, with the participation of several government entities, national companies, universities, academic institutions, and research centers, as well as prominent leaders, officials, experts, and specialists from within and outside the Kingdom.

The forum will feature panel discussions and specialized workshops addressing key developments and opportunities in the industrial sector, the future of national industries, the enhancement of supply chains and logistics services, and the development of an integrated industrial base in strategic sectors, particularly the automotive industry, as well as the food and pharmaceutical industries.

The forum will discuss ways to enhance integration between the industrial sector, universities, and research and development centers; align academic and research outputs with the sector's needs; and utilize modern technologies to advance industry. It will also address strengthening local content, increasing the contribution of national enterprises, and highlighting promising investment opportunities.

The forum will witness the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding among government and private entities, as well as educational and research institutions, aimed at strengthening partnerships and integration among stakeholders in the industrial ecosystem, stimulating investment, and enhancing the competitiveness of national industry.

The forum comes amid the rapid growth and transformation of the Kingdom's industrial sector and its expanding role in diversifying the economic base, strengthening local content, and attracting investment, in support of the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.