Saudi Arabia Leads Efforts to Boost Mining Industry in Middle East

A workshop is held ahead of the Future Minerals Summit in cooperation with the Saudi Geological Survey. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A workshop is held ahead of the Future Minerals Summit in cooperation with the Saudi Geological Survey. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Leads Efforts to Boost Mining Industry in Middle East

A workshop is held ahead of the Future Minerals Summit in cooperation with the Saudi Geological Survey. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A workshop is held ahead of the Future Minerals Summit in cooperation with the Saudi Geological Survey. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has been working to boost and develop the mining industry to attract foreign investments.

It will host the Future Minerals Summit (FMS) in Riyadh from January 11 to 13, 2022.

This is the first-ever event to offer a “one-stop-shop” for investors, miners and other industry stakeholders interested in learning more about the mining potential of the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa.

The summit is expected to serve as a global platform to attract foreign direct investment to the local market and the region by forging partnerships, exchanging technical knowledge and advanced technologies in the field of mining.

The event seeks to present the region as a global mining hub and raise the level of awareness of the importance of the mining industry in the Kingdom and the region.

Its organizers aim for the summit to be the pivotal starting point for charting the future of mining and its contribution to the development of societies.

Director of Communications at FMS Tariq al-Qwaifel told Asharq Al-Awsat that the mining field includes experts and investors who look for their investment opportunities through experts specializing in this industry.

They usually meet in various forums held in several world countries that bring together investors and experts in the sector and industry leaders to identify the opportunities that investors are looking for, he explained.

Qwaifel said January's summit is a precedent in the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa region.

Therefore, the idea to hold the summit under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the support of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, arose to allow the Kingdom to become a pioneer in this industry.

“By announcing the event, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources aimed at turning the event into an international forum for investors in these regions to explore all the opportunities available in this sector.”

Saudi Arabia also is convening a Ministerial Roundtable in Riyadh a day before the summit kicks off to define the future of mining across the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.

Ministerial representatives of 25 governments will meet to address key questions and highlight the greatest opportunities across these regions.



IMF Projects Pessimistic Outlook on MENA Economies

Traffic moves during a sandstorm in Doha on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
Traffic moves during a sandstorm in Doha on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
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IMF Projects Pessimistic Outlook on MENA Economies

Traffic moves during a sandstorm in Doha on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
Traffic moves during a sandstorm in Doha on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday gave a pessimistic outlook for economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for the next two years, the second similar projection in a row in 2025.

The IMF released an update to its World Economic Outlook compiled in just 10 days after US President Donald Trump announced universal tariffs on nearly all trading partners and higher rates - currently suspended - on many countries.

Across the broader MENA region, the IMF anticipated economic growth to average 2.6% in 2025, before climbing to 3.4% in 2026, representing a decrease by around 0.9 percentage points and 0.5 percentage points compared to previous forecasts.

The IMF had downgraded its growth forecast for the region last January from its October projection. According to figures from the fund, the region's economy grew by 1.8% last year.

Within MENA, IMF projected oil exporters including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Algeria and Qatar, to witness a 2.6% growth this year and 3.1% next year.

In return, in oil-importing nations such as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, economies are projected to grow to 3.6% in 2025 and to 4.1% in 2026.

The Fund said futures markets indicate that oil prices will average $66.9 per barrel in 2025, a 15.5% decline, before falling to $62.4 in 2026.

The IMF cut the forecast for Saudi Arabia's GDP growth in 2025 to 3% versus a January estimate of a 3.3% increase. IMF also reduced the projection for growth in 2026 by 0.4 percentage point to 3.7%.

In Iraq, the IMF expected a modest rebound in 2026, with growth forecast at 1.4%. This marks a steep downgrade from October 2024, when it had projected 4.1% growth for Iraq in 2025.

In Egypt, it saw growth coming in at a 3.8% y-o-y clip this fiscal year, up 0.2 percentage points from its January forecast.

In Morocco, IMF said the economy could grow by 3.9% in 2025 and maintain steady momentum with 3.7% the following year.