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Saudi Arabia Establishes 1st Council for Sustainable Economies Transformation

Officials sign a tripartite agreement to form an advisory council for sustainable economic transformations, during the LEAP conference on Tuesday. (SPA)
Officials sign a tripartite agreement to form an advisory council for sustainable economic transformations, during the LEAP conference on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Establishes 1st Council for Sustainable Economies Transformation

Officials sign a tripartite agreement to form an advisory council for sustainable economic transformations, during the LEAP conference on Tuesday. (SPA)
Officials sign a tripartite agreement to form an advisory council for sustainable economic transformations, during the LEAP conference on Tuesday. (SPA)

The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the Saudi Research, Development and Innovation Development Authority, and Microsoft Corporation have announced the formation of the Sustainability Council to respond to the transformations of sustainable economies.

Dr. Munir El-Desouki, the president of KACST, said that the establishment of the council came in line with the Saudi Arabia Green initiative and the Green Middle East to reach zero neutrality by 2060 and to lead a new wave of green Saudi investments of a sustainable economic nature.

Al-Desouki stressed that the new council would seek to promote innovation and build partnerships by motivating stakeholders to ensure the achievement of the Kingdom’s goals and aspirations at the level of the global competitiveness map.

Eng. Thamer Alharbi, the head of Microsoft Arabia, said the council would help organizations transform their business, increase productivity, drive innovation, and manage more sustainable operations, by providing roundtable discussions for leaders, and stimulating scientific research.

The Sustainability Council, which was announced on the sidelines of the LEAP 2023 conference, is an advisory platform that brings together key stakeholders from industry, academia, government agencies and international experts to facilitate regular meetings and knowledge exchange between leaders.

The LEAP 2023 conference kicked off in Riyadh on Monday, in the presence of more than 700 experts, scientists and specialized companies from around the world, who are discussing the latest developments in virtual reality, creative economy, edutech, retail, Fourth Industrial Revolution, future energy, smart cities, fintech, and healthtech.

Sibi Gurnani, CEO of Tech Mahindra - a world leader in information technology solutions – stressed that Saudi Arabia had promising technical investments in a number of fields, especially energy and environment.

In remarks during a session on the second day of LEAP 2023, Gurnani said that Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a clear plan to face challenges and build broad partnerships in the field of automation, innovations and human engineering.

For his part, CEO of Natanix Rajeev Ramaswamy said that Saudi Arabia launched an inspiring and bold vision that would lead to major social and economic transformations and employ technology to serve humanity.

Phalgun Kompalli, CEO of UpGrad, praised the Kingdom’s endeavor to adopt new technologies, pointing to the great opportunities available for investment in technology to cover the needs of industry, education, health, and other service and logistical sectors.

CEO of 2U Inc. Chip Paucek said that around a billion jobs would be available in the Arab Gulf region thanks to technology changes and the expansion of the uses of artificial intelligence.

He added that partnerships between the public and private sectors contributed to a greater chance of success in the fields of education and provided appropriate platforms to help people access advanced technology services and capabilities, and localize technology.

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Revenue Growth, Improved Operational Efficiency Boost Profitability of Saudi Telecom Companies

A man monitors the movement of stocks on the Saudi Tadawul index. (AFP)
A man monitors the movement of stocks on the Saudi Tadawul index. (AFP)
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Revenue Growth, Improved Operational Efficiency Boost Profitability of Saudi Telecom Companies

A man monitors the movement of stocks on the Saudi Tadawul index. (AFP)
A man monitors the movement of stocks on the Saudi Tadawul index. (AFP)

Telecommunications companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) achieved a 12.46 percent growth in their net profits, which reached SAR 4.07 billion ($1.09 billion) during the second quarter of 2024, compared to SAR 3.62 billion ($965 million) during the same period last year.

They also recorded a 4.76 percent growth in revenues during the same quarter, after achieving sales worth more than SAR 26.18 billion ($7 billion), compared to SAR 24.99 billion ($6.66 billion) in the same quarter of 2023.

The growth in the revenues and net profitability is the result of several factors, including the increase in sales volume and revenues, especially in the business sector and fifth generation services, as well as the decrease in operating expenses and the focus on improving operational efficiency, controlling costs, and moving towards investment in infrastructure.

The sector comprises four companies, three of which conclude their fiscal year in December: Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Mobily, and Zain Saudi Arabia. The fiscal year of Etihad Atheeb Telecommunications Company (GO) ends on March 31.

According to its financial results announced on Tadawul, Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) achieved a 33 percent growth rate of profits, bringing its profits to SAR 661 million by the end of the second quarter of 2024, compared to SAR 497 million during the same period in 2023. The company also achieved a 4.59 percent growth in revenues to reach SAR 4.47 billion, compared to SAR 4.27 billion in the same quarter of last year.

The Saudi Telecom Company achieved the highest net profits among the sector’s companies, at about SAR 3.304 billion in the second quarter of 2024, compared to SAR 3.008 billion in the same quarter of 2023. The company registered a growth of 4.52 percent in revenues.

On the other hand, the revenues of the Saudi Mobile Telecommunications Company (Zain Saudi Arabia) increased by about 6.69 percent, as it recorded SAR 2.55 billion during the second quarter of 2024, compared to SAR 2.39 billion in the same period last year.

Commenting on the quarterly results of the sector’s companies, and the varying net profits, the head of asset management at Rassanah Capital, Thamer Al-Saeed, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Saudi Telecom Company remains the sector leader in terms of customer base expansion.

He also noted the continued efforts of Mobily and Zain to offer many diverse products and other services.

Financial advisor at the Arab Trader Mohammed Al-Maymouni said the financial results of telecom sector companies have maintained a steady growth, up to 12 percent, adding that Mobily witnessed strong progress compared to the rest of the companies, despite the great competition which affected its revenues.

He added that Zain was moving at a good pace and its revenues have improved during the second quarter of 2024. However, its profits were affected by an increase in the financing cost by SAR 26.5 million riyals and a rise in interest, while net income declined significantly compared to the previous year, during which the company made exceptional returns.