Saudi Arabia on Track to Become Regional Mining Sector Focal Point

Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Mudeifer, Asharq Al-Awsat
Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Mudeifer, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia on Track to Become Regional Mining Sector Focal Point

Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Mudeifer, Asharq Al-Awsat
Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Mudeifer, Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia is now on the global mining map, one of the Kingdom’s officials revealed on Thursday, adding that the move matches the country’s plans to become a center for servicing the vital sector in nearby regions.

The Kingdom enjoys a significant geographic location and distinguished international relations worldwide, stressed Khalid al-Mudeifer, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources.

These attributes allow Saudi Arabia to become a focal point for regional administrations of international mining companies, consultancy services, studies, laboratories, mining financing, and exploration and drilling services.

From Africa to Central Asia, the Kingdom enjoys a unique geographic location and system for attracting investment in mining.

According to al-Mudeifer, Saudi Arabia has achieved a lot during the international mining conference it held this week.

Investors engaged with the symposium and had their traditional views of the Kingdom changed, noted the deputy.

Saudi Arabia has been moving forward with programs of its national plan for transformation, Vision 2030.

The conference proved to the world the extent to which the Kingdom has opened its doors to accommodate all investors in the field of mining and other fields, confirmed al-Mudeifer, adding that Riyadh has achieved a massive leap in infrastructure, economic openness, reforms, and stimulating legislation.

“The door is widely open for investors and the public and private sectors to invest in the Kingdom and build on the changes that have taken place in a safe environment with complete confidence,” he said.

“We have prepared the infrastructure for the advancement of the mining sector and are now starting to attract investments,” added al-Mudeifer.

“There are laboratories that are currently being established in Jeddah for an integrated service to the East African and Saudi regions, in light of agreements and partnerships that were launched on a large scale,” he revealed.

Al-Mudeifer also disclosed that Saudi Arabia had received extensive investment requests for its mining sector. Authorities are now working to accommodate those calls on a single platform.



France 'Dangerously Exposed' in Case of Economic Shock, National Audit Office Says

A participant holds a French flag during an election night rally following the first results of the second round of France's legislative election at Place de la Republique in Paris on July 7, 2024. (AFP)
A participant holds a French flag during an election night rally following the first results of the second round of France's legislative election at Place de la Republique in Paris on July 7, 2024. (AFP)
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France 'Dangerously Exposed' in Case of Economic Shock, National Audit Office Says

A participant holds a French flag during an election night rally following the first results of the second round of France's legislative election at Place de la Republique in Paris on July 7, 2024. (AFP)
A participant holds a French flag during an election night rally following the first results of the second round of France's legislative election at Place de la Republique in Paris on July 7, 2024. (AFP)

France's public finances and its rising deficit are worrying and leave the country "dangerously exposed" in the event of a new, macroeconomic shock, the national public audit office said on Monday.
The audit office, known as the Cour des Comptes, reiterated it was vital for France, the euro zone's second biggest economy, to reduce its public deficit, Reuters reported.
"Due to delays in making real structural reforms, the cost of public debt, which has been exacerbated by recurring deficits and the weight of these deficits, has become more and more expensive," it said.
This "has hampered other spending, hinders the ability to make investments and leaves the country dangerously exposed in case of a new macroeconomic shock," it added.
It said France's public financing programs did not adequately take into account costs linked to policies aimed at protecting the environment, such as using more renewable energy.
Last month, the European Commission said France and six other countries should be disciplined for running budget deficits in excess of EU limits, with deadlines for reducing the gaps to be set in November.
France had a budget gap of 5.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, up from 4.8% in 2022 and above the EU's deficit limit of 3%.
French public debt was 110.6% of GDP in 2023. The EU Commission expects this to increase to 112.4% this year and to 113.8% in 2025 while the EU limit is 60%.
President Emmanuel Macron's government has pledged to meet the EU's deficit limit of 3% by 2027, but the outlook has been complicated by this month's parliamentary election which resulted in a hung parliament.
Credit rating agencies Moody's and S&P Global have warned of negative impacts on the French economy from the political deadlock, where no political party won an outright majority.