Saudi Arabia Achieves Record Growth in Promising Sectors

Saudi Arabia has achieved record growth in indicators of economic activities in promising sectors during the first quarter of 2023. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia has achieved record growth in indicators of economic activities in promising sectors during the first quarter of 2023. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Achieves Record Growth in Promising Sectors

Saudi Arabia has achieved record growth in indicators of economic activities in promising sectors during the first quarter of 2023. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia has achieved record growth in indicators of economic activities in promising sectors during the first quarter of 2023. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has achieved record growth in indicators of economic activities in promising sectors during the first quarter of this year, one of the opportunities launched by Vision 2030 for the local and foreign business sectors.

According to a recent report by the Ministry of Commerce, a copy of which was obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, commercial registers of the video game sector grew 92 percent during the first quarter of this year, bringing the total to more than 1,600.

Last year, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, launched the National Gaming and Esports Strategy, kicking off a new era for the Kingdom to play a pioneering role in the sector and making it a global hub for the gaming industry by 2030.

It also serves the Vision 2030 objectives, which aim to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy, create new job opportunities in different industries and provide world-class entertainment to residents and visitors.

The Saudi government established a specialized authority that focused on developing Artificial Intelligence and the data sector. It reported a 74 percent growth in commercial registers in the sector during the first quarter of 2023, bringing the total to more than 3,200.

According to the report, commercial registers in the computer programming sector increased by 30 percent, bringing the total number to 11,800.

In market research and opinion polls, commercial registers in this sector increased by 95 percent during the first quarter of 2023, with more than 200.

The report revealed that the sector of recreation increased by 18 percent in the first quarter of the year, with a total of more than 2,800 commercial registers.

The film industry witnessed a 39 percent increase in exported commercial registers, bringing the total number to more than 1,500.

On Monday, the Ministry of Commerce issued the first quarterly bulletin on the performance of the business sector and its developments in the Kingdom during the first quarter of 2023.

The bulletin revealed the most prominent indicators of growth in various activities and sectors and the developments of regulations during the year.

It also reported on the consumer protection system, the commercial register, trade names, the family business charter, and the corporate governance regulations.

The bulletin showed the volume of growth in the records of institutions and companies, the highest sectors that witnessed remarkable growth, the distribution of exported records to Saudi regions, indicators of economic activities in promising sectors, and the growth of e-commerce in the Kingdom.

It also shed light on businesswomen, funding of small and medium enterprises, the developments in the transformation of institutions into companies according to the new corporate system, and the benefits of recently issued laws and regulations, including commercial treatments and franchising, and the Saudi building code.



Saudi Arabia, Canada Discuss Smart Industrial Cities

The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA
The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, Canada Discuss Smart Industrial Cities

The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA
The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef has discussed with Canadian government ministers ways to bolster industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries, opportunities for developing industrial innovation, and building an effective partnership to establish smart industrial cities in the Kingdom by leveraging Canadian expertise.

During his meeting with Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne, and accompanied by National Industrial Development Center Chief Executive Saleh AlSulami, Alkhorayef underscored the Kingdom's commitment to benefiting from the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, to develop the industrial sector and create added value, while improving production efficiency in industrial facilities.

Meeting participants discussed enhancing cooperation in the field of industrial digitization, utilizing AI technologies to improve industrial processes, and exploring opportunities for collaboration in building smart industrial cities in the Kingdom, benefiting from Canadian advancements in digital infrastructure.

The two sides also discussed collaboration between the Kingdom and Canada in the field of innovation, including the partnership between the Saudi Ministry of Education and Metax, a Canadian research organization funded by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry with a focus on providing joint research opportunities for graduate and doctoral students in both countries.

During a meeting with Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, Alkhorayef discussed ways to enhance economic relations and non-oil trade between the two countries, given the fact that the Kingdom is the largest trading partner for Canada in the Middle East and North Africa. The ministers reviewed the role of industrial development globally in advancing communities, increasing their well-being, and improving individuals' living standards.

Alkhorayef and Canada's Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MIHR) executive director Ryan Montpellier discussed opportunities to benefit from council's expertise in workforce human capabilities development strategies in the mining sector.

The meetings held by the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are part of his visit to Canada, aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries, exploring mutual opportunities in both sectors, and attracting foreign investments to the Kingdom.