Saudi Industrial Sector Stimulates Women’s Investments

Saudi MODON is preparing units to encourage the access of entrepreneurs and women to the industrial sector. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi MODON is preparing units to encourage the access of entrepreneurs and women to the industrial sector. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Industrial Sector Stimulates Women’s Investments

Saudi MODON is preparing units to encourage the access of entrepreneurs and women to the industrial sector. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi MODON is preparing units to encourage the access of entrepreneurs and women to the industrial sector. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

In a move that aims to promote the inclusion of women and young businessmen in the industrial sector, Saudi Arabia has prepared nearly 78 ready-made factories in Sudair City for Industries and Business (north of Riyadh), to be used by SMEs and small entrepreneurs.

Eng. Osama Al-Zamil, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON), announced on Tuesday the inauguration of 58 new factories in support of small and medium enterprises, pioneers and entrepreneurs and to encourage women’s investments.

The move is part of the initiatives of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) to boost the contribution of the non-oil sector to the GDP and enrich the development base of the national economy.

The new factories cover an area of 700 square meters per unit.

Al-Zamil added that the project was the product of an effective partnership between the public and private sectors as part of MODON’s strategy to enable industry and contribute to increasing local content.

He added that Sudair City for Industry and Business recently witnessed many significant projects, including the inauguration of 20 ready-made factories with an area of 1,500 square meters, bringing the total to 78 ready-made units of various sizes, and the delivery of a fiber-optic network, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Al-Zamil also revealed the signing of an agreement with the Saline Water Conversion Corporation to supply the project with 5,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day, to be linked with the Corporation’s water transmission facilities and networks.



Saudi Finance Minister: Int’l Institutions Need Unified Standards for Measuring National Income  

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan during a panel discussion at Davos. (Davos) 
Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan during a panel discussion at Davos. (Davos) 
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Saudi Finance Minister: Int’l Institutions Need Unified Standards for Measuring National Income  

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan during a panel discussion at Davos. (Davos) 
Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan during a panel discussion at Davos. (Davos) 

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan has called for the development of methods to measure gross national income (GNI) that better reflect the true realities of economies, especially in emerging countries.

During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, titled “New Approaches to Measuring GDP Growth,” Al-Jadaan emphasized the need for international institutions to adopt unified and robust standards for measuring national income.

He noted that achieving this objective requires designing collaborative programs with various countries to enhance data accuracy and analyze it in a more comprehensive manner.

The minister pointed out that traditional methods for measuring GDP might no longer suffice in the current global context, urging the adoption of new tools and standards capable of measuring economic growth in line with the rapid global changes.

Al-Jadaan stressed that improving measurement mechanisms would boost the efficiency of international institutions in providing support and advice, foster sustainable development in emerging economies, and contribute to achieving economic equity on a global scale.