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Northern Ireland to Cooperate with Saudi Arabia in Raising Rates of Landfill Diversion, Recycling

Steve Harper, Executive Director of International Business at Invest Northern Ireland. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Steve Harper, Executive Director of International Business at Invest Northern Ireland. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Northern Ireland to Cooperate with Saudi Arabia in Raising Rates of Landfill Diversion, Recycling

Steve Harper, Executive Director of International Business at Invest Northern Ireland. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Steve Harper, Executive Director of International Business at Invest Northern Ireland. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Ireland underlined its commitment to support the growing technological innovation in Saudi Arabia. Steve Harper, Executive Director of International Business at Invest Northern Ireland, revealed his country’s plans to strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom with the aim to increase landfill diversion and recycling rates at the regional and global levels.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Harper said the agency was ready to exchange new experiences in modern technological innovation, financial technology and advanced engineering, in addition to expanding work in the fields of municipal solid waste, energy production from waste, health care, waste management, and cyber security.

He added that Invest Northern Ireland was Northern Ireland’s economic development agency, providing global expertise in a variety of sectors.

“We have been working in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade, and we pay special attention to this relationship, especially in light of the rapid changes that the Kingdom is witnessing and its quest to achieve Saudi Vision 2030, which focuses on promoting economic diversification and growth,” Harper told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He emphasized the great alignment between Saudi Vision 2030 and the agency’s mission, pointing to the presence of many opportunities for Northern Irish companies to engage in the Kingdom’s ongoing transformation.

Harper noted that Northern Ireland companies were working closely with many of the corporations based in the Kingdom, drawing on their expertise in vital Saudi sectors.

Those include life sciences, health, higher education and environmental management, such as construction and demolition waste management, municipal solid waste management, energy production from waste, and modern technological innovations.

In this context, Northern Ireland firms forge partnerships with local companies and sectors in order to build knowledge, apply best practices and innovations, and in general, achieve readiness for future business development, he underlined.

Harper said that Northern Ireland was working closely with its Saudi partners, in healthcare, waste management, education, technology and cyber-security, and other sectors.

“This cooperation has positive effects, not only in increasing the strengths of Northern Ireland’s portfolio of expertise in these sectors, but also on our new and rapidly developing capability in the areas of technological innovation, Fintech and advanced engineering,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Northern Ireland provides support in many sectors and fields in Saudi Arabia, Harper said. For example, it commissioned Averda and Kiverco to design, build and install a waste recycling plant, which will help in the recycling of all construction waste from the Red Sea Project in the Kingdom.

He added that the Northern Ireland economic development agency has recently hosted members of the senior management of the Saudi Investment Recycling Company to present its global expertise in the field of manufacturing dry and wet waste recycling technologies and equipment.

He said in this regard that the Saudi Investment Recycling Company seeks to set an example in this field by developing and operating projects to increase landfill diversion rates and promote recycling at the regional and global levels, driven by Saudi Vision 2030.

He continued: “Our companies support the technological innovation that has begun to emerge strongly in the Kingdom.”

SIM Systems, for example, the largest provider of access control and integrated security management systems in Belfast, is working to provide these systems to King Khalid University Hospital, in addition to a number of major international airports in the region, he continued.

Citing other Northern Ireland companies currently operating in the Kingdom, Harper pointed to CrowdVision, a robotic pedestrian analytics and statistics company, which provides real-time data to help manage crowds and ensure the safety of millions of pilgrims in the holy city of Makkah.

In terms of luxury activities, Ulster Carpets has a proven track record of success in the Middle East region by providing luxury carpets to its customers from prestigious hotels, Harper underlined. The company is currently working in partnership with Jabal Omar Development Company in Saudi Arabia.

These few examples are solid evidence of the Kingdom’s demand for Northern Ireland’s world-class products and expertise, Harper stated.

Asked about cooperation in the field of education and university exchange, he replied that the two largest universities in Northern Ireland – Ulster and Queen’s Belfast - have established a range of partnerships with universities in Saudi Arabia.

For a decade, the University of Ulster has been providing successful nursing programs in Saudi Arabia. As for its experience in the field of tourism and hospitality in particular, it ranks first in the United Kingdom in the field of hospitality, he noted.

Queen’s University Belfast, in turn, has established close relationships with the higher education sector in the Kingdom, including a partnership with the University of Jeddah in a range of disciplines at the graduate and research levels, Harper told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He added that the university was working with the Saudi ministries of Health and Interior to train and develop the healthcare workforce, including doctors, dentists, and nurses.

More than 150 students from the Kingdom are currently enrolled in many undergraduate, graduate and research programs, including at the Center for Secure Information Technologies at Queen’s University Belfast, Harper remarked.

All of the above is the best example of the support provided by Invest Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland as a whole to the Kingdom in achieving Saudi Vision 2030, he stressed.

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Business

IEA, IMF and World Bank to Coordinate Response to Middle East War's Impact

A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
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IEA, IMF and World Bank to Coordinate Response to Middle East War's Impact

A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked

The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank on Wednesday said they will form a coordination group to maximize their response to the significant economic and energy impacts of the war in the Middle East.

In a joint statement, the three global bodies noted that the war had caused major disruptions in the region and triggered one of the largest supply shortages in global energy market history.

"At these times of high uncertainty, it is paramount that our institutions join forces to monitor developments, ⁠align analysis, and coordinate ⁠support to policymakers to navigate this crisis," the heads of the IMF, IEA and World Bank said.

The new coordination group will assess the severity of impacts across countries, coordinate a response mechanism, and mobilize stakeholders to deliver support to countries in need, the international bodies said.

The response mechanism could include targeted policy advice, assessment of potential financing needs ⁠and related provision of financial support, including through low or zero-percent financing, as well as unspecified risk mitigation tools, they said.

Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East in the war, which began when the US and Israel struck Iran on February 28, triggering Iranian attacks on Israel, US bases and the Gulf states, while opening a new front in Lebanon.

Now in its second month, the conflict has spread across the region, disrupting energy supplies and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin.

"The impact is substantial, global, and highly asymmetric, disproportionately ⁠affecting energy ⁠importers, in particular low-income countries," Reuters quoted the IMF, IEA and World Bank as saying.

They noted that the war was already resulting in higher oil, gas and fertilizer prices, while triggering concerns about food prices and affecting global supply chains of helium, phosphate, aluminum, and other commodities. Tourism had also been hit.

"The resulting market volatility, weakening of currencies in emerging economies, and concerns about inflation expectations raise the prospect of tighter monetary stances and weaker growth," the organizations said.

"We are committed to working together to safeguard global economic and financial stability, strengthen energy security, and support affected countries and people on their path to sustained recovery, growth, and job creation through reforms," they said.

Business

Saudi Arabia: Mawani Announces Commencement of Container Terminal Operations at Jubail Port

Jubail Commercial Port. SPA
Jubail Commercial Port. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: Mawani Announces Commencement of Container Terminal Operations at Jubail Port

Jubail Commercial Port. SPA
Jubail Commercial Port. SPA

The Saudi Ports Authority “Mawani” has announced the commencement of container terminal operations at Jubail Commercial Port under a privatization contract with Saudi Global Ports (SGP), backed by private sector investments exceeding SAR2 billion ($533 million).

The new move is in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030, Mawani said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The commencement of operations comes as part of the implementation of the privatization contract signed between the two parties, which includes the development of infrastructure and the modernization of operational equipment,” it said.

“This includes increasing berth length from 1,000 m to 1,400 m, deepening berths from 14 m to 18 m, increasing the number of STS cranes from 6 to 10, and raising the number of RTG cranes from 13 to 29 automated, environmentally friendly cranes,” the statement added.

According to Mawani, the launch will increase the container terminal’s handling capacity from 1.5 million TEUs to 2.4 million TEUs annually, across an area of 460,000 square meters.

This will enable the terminal to accommodate large next-generation vessels, enhance operational efficiency, and reinforce Jubail Commercial Port’s position as a key logistics gateway supporting the Kingdom’s sustainable growth.

It will also strengthen operational integration with the Group’s terminals across the Eastern Coast ports.

Business

Germany Growth Forecasts Slashed as Mideast War Hits Economy

Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File
Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File
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Germany Growth Forecasts Slashed as Mideast War Hits Economy

Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File
Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File

Leading economic institutes more than halved their growth forecast for Germany on Wednesday, warning that the energy shock caused by the Middle East war would hit Europe's top economy hard.

A group of leading institutes slashed their joint GDP growth forecast for 2026 to 0.6 percent, down from a September prediction of 1.3 percent.

Inflation is now forecast to rise to 2.8 percent, up from 2.0 percent, "weighing on household purchasing power".

"The energy price shock triggered by the Iran war is hitting the recovery hard," said economist Timo Wollmershaeuser of the Ifo institute, adding that increased government spending was nevertheless "preventing a stronger slide", AFP reported.

Oil and natural gas prices have surged since the end of February, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killed its supreme leader and plunged the Middle East into war.

Iran has since closed the Strait of Hormuz to ships of countries it considers allied with the US and Israel, effectively blocking a sea lane that normally transports about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

Higher inflation in Germany would hit consumer spending, the institutes said, weighing on an already weak economy that has barely grown since a burst of pent-up demand after the Covid pandemic in 2022.

The government on Wednesday introduced rules allowing petrol stations to only raise prices once a day, at noon.

But motorist Sebastian, a 49-year-old estate agent who did not want to give his surname, told AFP at a Frankfurt petrol station that this was not enough to protect his spending power.

"Whether the price of petrol changes once a day or 10 times a day doesn't really matter," he said, adding it was "certainly not enough" to lower his costs.

Germany's economy, struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals, was in the doldrums even before US President Donald Trump last year imposed sweeping new tariffs before starting the Mideast war in late February.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office last May, vowed to borrow and spend hundreds of billions through a special infrastructure fund over coming years in what was dubbed a spending "bazooka" aimed at getting the economy back on its feet.

But the economists said that much of the money was simply paying for day-to-day spending.

"Government expenditure on consumption is rising much more sharply than investment," economist Oliver Holtemoeller of the Halle Institute for Economic Research said. "That was not the idea behind changing the financing rules."

The outlook for the longer term was also dire.

Citing low productivity, industrial decline and an ageing population, the institutes warned that Germany's economy would soon be unable to grow sustainably.

"We have also reassessed the structural changes in the German economy and, in particular, revised our forecast for industrial growth downwards," Wollmershaeuser said.

In an era when "demographic change is hitting with full force", he said, "potential growth will come to a standstill by the end of the decade, and we will have to get used to average GDP growth rates of zero percent".

Speaking to broadcaster Welt TV, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said the government was working on reducing labour taxes and energy costs but that Germans would have to get used to working more over the course of their lives.

"We need to make this country vigorous again," she said. "Germany needs to get its will to win back."