Jeddah Central Project Set to Be Prominent Development Project in Kingdom’s Vision 2030

Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jeddah Central Project Set to Be Prominent Development Project in Kingdom’s Vision 2030

Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz launched a development plan for the Jeddah Central Project on Friday. The undertaking sets out to be one of the most prominent development projects of the Kingdom’s national program for transformation, Vision 2030.

It aims to develop the city of Jeddah in support of its ambitions to become one of the top 100 cities in the world.

The project will contribute to developing a vital area suitable for recreation, entertainment, and shopping, transforming the city into a unique destination for various segments of society, including residents and visitors.

The project will be implemented by the Public Investment Fund’s Central Jeddah Development in three phases, the first of which will be completed by the end of the year 2027.

Downtown Jeddah will then begin to receive residents and visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom.

The project aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, especially developing tourism sites that live up to the highest international standards. It also provides investment opportunities that contribute to the development of the private sector and the tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sector.

In addition, the city will benefit from the building and development of modern residential areas, encompassing 17,000 residential units and diversified hotel projects that offer more than 2,700 hotel rooms, and the provision of integrated solutions for the business sector.

The project will feature a world-class marina and stunning beach resorts, as well as restaurants and cafes and diverse shopping options.

The waterfront of the project is 9.5 km long, which includes a promenade, a marina to host local and international yachts, and a 2.1 km long beach. Open spaces and public services make up a significant part of the project area, with the provision of designated walking areas to create a walkable environment.



Trump Taps Scott Bessent for Treasury

(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
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Trump Taps Scott Bessent for Treasury

(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he will nominate prominent investor Scott Bessent as US Treasury secretary, a key cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.

"I am most pleased to nominate Scott Bessent to serve as the 79th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States," Trump said in a statement released on Truth Social. "Scott is widely respected as one of the world's foremost international investors and geopolitical and economic strategists."

Wall Street has been closely watching who Trump will pick, especially given his plans to remake global trade through tariffs and extend and potentially expand the raft of tax cuts enacted during his first term, Reuters reported
The choice came after days of deliberations by Trump as he sorted through a shifting list of candidates. Bessent spent day after day at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida providing economic advice, sources said, a proximity to the president-elect that may have helped him prevail.
Other names that had been floated included Apollo Global Management Chief Executive Marc Rowan and former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh. Investor John Paulson had also been a leading candidate, but dropped out, while Wall Street veteran Howard Lutnick, another contender, was appointed as head of the Commerce Department.
Bessent, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has advocated for tax reform and deregulation, particularly to spur more bank lending and energy production, as noted in a recent opinion piece he wrote for The Wall Street Journal.
The market's surge after Trump's election victory, he wrote, signaled investor expectations of "higher growth, lower volatility and inflation, and a revitalized economy for all Americans."
"Bessent has been on the side of less aggressive tariffs," said Oxford Economics' Ryan Sweet, adding that picking him makes the steep tariffs Trump proposed on the campaign trail less likely.
Bessent follows other financial luminaries who have taken the job, including former Goldman Sachs executives Robert Rubin, Hank Paulson and Steven Mnuchin, Trump's first Treasury chief. Janet Yellen, the current secretary and first woman in the job, previously chaired the Federal Reserve and White House Council of Economic Advisers.
Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, Bessent's home state, said in a statement: "President Trump's economic agenda is in good hands with Scott Bessent. I look forward to working closely with Scott and President Trump to lower inflation and create the golden age of prosperity for the American people."