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.
