Saudi Industry to Build Digital System That Attracts Quality Investments

 The sessions of the 21st annual meeting of the Saudi Economic Association (SEA) kicked off on Monday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The sessions of the 21st annual meeting of the Saudi Economic Association (SEA) kicked off on Monday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Industry to Build Digital System That Attracts Quality Investments

 The sessions of the 21st annual meeting of the Saudi Economic Association (SEA) kicked off on Monday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The sessions of the 21st annual meeting of the Saudi Economic Association (SEA) kicked off on Monday in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources unveiled an endeavor to build a digital system that would contribute to attracting quality investments in the industrial and mining sectors.

This came during the sessions of the 21st annual meeting of the Saudi Economic Association (SEA), which kicked off on Monday, under the patronage of Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

Participants discussed the digital transformation of the public and private sectors, along with its strategies, road map, and the means to help telecommunication companies benefit from the opportunities that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eng. Mohammad Al-Muhanna, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources for digital transformation, underlined the ministry’s efforts to make the Kingdom a hub for quality investments in industry and mining, by building a digital system based on dedicated platforms that enrich interaction and effective participation within the sector.

For his part, Ali Al-Wehaibi, the Director General of Planning and Digital Excellence at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for digital transformation, noted that the solutions pursued by his ministry in overcoming the pandemic focus on developing electronic platforms, including friendly settlement services, in addition to enhancing remote work.

He explained that his ministry submitted a study that included several recommendations on the means to develop long-term and short-term plans to deal with epidemic risks, expand infrastructure and communication systems, and create a legal and legislative environment that regulates digital transactions.

A second panel discussion, entitled “Digital Transformation of the Private Sector”, was attended by Dr. Abdullah Dahlan, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Business and Technology in Jeddah, Engineer Yasser Al-Farhan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Advanced Systems and Technologies Company, and Engineer Raed Al-Fayez, Deputy Governor for the IT and emerging technologies at the Communications and Information Technology Commission, as well as Mashael bin Saedan, founder and CEO of Al Saedan for Development and a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Economic Association.



Oil Prices Jump More than 5% after Israel Strikes Iran

An oil pump is seen in Lagunillas, Ciudad Ojeda, in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Isaac Urrutia/File Photo
An oil pump is seen in Lagunillas, Ciudad Ojeda, in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Isaac Urrutia/File Photo
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Oil Prices Jump More than 5% after Israel Strikes Iran

An oil pump is seen in Lagunillas, Ciudad Ojeda, in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Isaac Urrutia/File Photo
An oil pump is seen in Lagunillas, Ciudad Ojeda, in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Isaac Urrutia/File Photo

Oil prices jumped more than 5% on Friday to hit the highest in more than two months after Israel said it struck Iran, raising concerns of escalating tensions in the Middle East that could disrupt oil supplies.

Brent crude futures rose $3.91, or 5.64%, to $73.27 a barrel by 0146 GMT, the highest since April 3. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up $4.09, or 6.01%, at $72.13 a barrel, Reuters reported.

Israel said early on Friday that it struck Iran, and Iranian media said explosions were heard in Tehran as tensions mounted over US efforts to win Iran's agreement to halt production of material for an atomic bomb.

"The Israeli attack on Iran has heightened the risk premium further," MST Marquee senior energy analyst Saul Kavonic said.

"The conflict would need to escalate to the point of Iranian retaliation on oil infrastructure in the region before oil supply is actually materially impacted," he said, adding that Iran could hinder up to 20 million barrels per day of oil supply via attacks on infrastructure or limiting passage through the Strait of Hormuz in an extreme scenario.