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CEO of SPIRE: Saudi Competencies to Meet Renewable Energy Company Needs

Eng. Majed Refae, the CEO of the Saudi Polytechnic Institute of Renewable Energy (SPIRE) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Eng. Majed Refae, the CEO of the Saudi Polytechnic Institute of Renewable Energy (SPIRE) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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CEO of SPIRE: Saudi Competencies to Meet Renewable Energy Company Needs

Eng. Majed Refae, the CEO of the Saudi Polytechnic Institute of Renewable Energy (SPIRE) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Eng. Majed Refae, the CEO of the Saudi Polytechnic Institute of Renewable Energy (SPIRE) (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Eng. Majed Refae, the CEO of the Saudi Polytechnic Institute of Renewable Energy (SPIRE), said that work was underway with strategic partners to provide companies operating in renewable energy projects with skilled national cadres.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Refae noted that more than 7,800 jobs will be needed for energy projects in Saudi Arabia during the coming years, expecting the demand to grow with the announcement of new and investment plans.

SPIRE is a strategic partnership institute within a comprehensive system, which the Ministry of Energy considers an important tributary for providing human resources and qualifying young men and women to work in the oil, gas and energy sectors and companies, with the support of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy.

The institute is located in Al-Jouf region in northern Saudi Arabia.

Refae said that the region was selected to be the headquarters of the institute, as it is situated within the global Sun Belt, which makes the solar radiation it receives one of the highest rates in the world.

Therefore, SPIRE was chosen to be near the first renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia - the Sakaka solar power plant and Dumat al-Jandal for wind energy. This will allow the institute to introduce trainees to real work environments, he underlined.

Al-Jouf is also close to several other renewable energy projects in Qurayyat, Turaif, Hafr Al-Batin, and Tabuk, located in the north of the country.

Asked about the launching date, Refae said: “SPIRE is now in the final stages of training procedures; we expect to start operation at the end of March.”

As for the training programs, he pointed to a 12-month program targeting holders of diplomas from technical colleges, in which the focus is on specialization and skills needed by employers.

Another 24-month program is directed towards high school graduates, in which the trainees undergo an intensive program in the English language and preparatory materials, followed by a 4-month field training on the job site.

According to Refae, SPIRE is based on the principle of training with employment, which is one of the most important bases of work in the National Center for Strategic Partnerships. Therefore, all those who successfully pass the selection tests will be contracted by companies operating renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia.

The CEO of SPIRE told Asharq Al-Awsat that the institute will seek to provide programs and specializations that meet the renewable energy sector in the areas of management, operation and maintenance.

This will be supported by creating accreditation programs that are tailored to the needs of companies operating in this promising sector, in accordance with the plan of the Ministry of Energy and Saudi Vision 2030.

Pointing that the institute capacity will reach 3,000 trainees, Refae added: “We are in the process of rehabilitating and equipping the facilities, and we plan to start training 250 cadres during the current year.”

“We are cooperating with local universities and institutes within the national system to provide curricula in accordance with the highest international standards,” he remarked.

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Business

IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference on Emerging Market Economies (EME) to enhance cooperation between the two institutions.

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki, SPA reported.

The agreement aims to strengthen coordination in economic and financial policy areas, including surveillance and lending activities, data and analytical exchange, capacity building, and the provision of technical assistance, in support of regional financial and economic stability.

Both sides affirmed that the MoU represents an important step toward deepening their strategic partnership and strengthening the regional financial safety net, serving member countries and enhancing their ability to address economic challenges.

Business

Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The Federation of Saudi Chambers announced the formation of the first joint Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council for its inaugural term (1447–1451 AH) and the election of Salman bin Hassan Al-Oqayel as its chairman.

Al-Oqayel said the council’s formation marks a pivotal milestone in economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reflecting a practical approach to enabling the business sectors in both countries to capitalize on promising investment opportunities and strengthen bilateral trade and investment partnerships, SPA reported.

He noted that trade between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reached approximately SAR9.5 billion by the end of November 2025, including SAR8 billion in Saudi exports and SAR1.5 billion in Kuwaiti imports.

Business

Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Harvard University economics professor Pol Antràs said Saudi Arabia represents an exceptional model in the shifting global trade landscape, differing fundamentally from traditional emerging-market frameworks. He also stressed that globalization has not ended but has instead re-formed into what he describes as fragmented integration.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, Antràs said Saudi Arabia’s Vision-driven structural reforms position the Kingdom to benefit from the ongoing phase of fragmented integration, adding that the country’s strategic focus on logistics transformation and artificial intelligence constitutes a key engine for sustainable growth that extends beyond the volatility of global crises.

Antràs, the Robert G. Ory Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is one of the leading contemporary theorists of international trade. His research, which reshaped understanding of global value chains, focuses on how firms organize cross-border production and how regulation and technological change influence global trade flows and corporate decision-making.

He said conventional classifications of economies often obscure important structural differences, noting that the term emerging markets groups together countries with widely divergent industrial bases. Economies that depend heavily on manufacturing exports rely critically on market access and trade integration and therefore face stronger competitive pressures from Chinese exports that are increasingly shifting toward alternative markets.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, exports extensively while facing limited direct competition from China in its primary export commodity, a situation that creates a strategic opportunity. The current environment allows the Kingdom to obtain imports from China at lower cost and access a broader range of goods that previously flowed largely toward the United States market.

Addressing how emerging economies should respond to dumping pressures and rising competition, Antràs said countries should minimize protectionist tendencies and instead position themselves as committed participants in the multilateral trading system, allowing foreign producers to access domestic markets while encouraging domestic firms to expand internationally.

He noted that although Chinese dumping presents concerns for countries with manufacturing sectors that compete directly with Chinese production, the risk is lower for Saudi Arabia because it does not maintain a large manufacturing base that overlaps directly with Chinese exports. Lower-cost imports could benefit Saudi consumers, while targeted policy tools such as credit programs, subsidies, and support for firms seeking to redesign and upgrade business models represent more effective responses than broad protectionist measures.

Globalization has not ended

Antràs said globalization continues but through more complex structures, with trade agreements increasingly negotiated through diverse arrangements rather than relying primarily on multilateral negotiations. Trade deals will continue to be concluded, but they are likely to become more complex, with uncertainty remaining a defining feature of the global trading environment.

Interest rates and artificial intelligence

According to Antràs, high global interest rates, combined with the additional risk premiums faced by emerging markets, are constraining investment, particularly in sectors that require export financing, capital expenditure, and continuous quality upgrading.

However, he noted that elevated interest rates partly reflect expectations of stronger long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence and broader technological transformation.

He also said if those growth expectations materialize, productivity gains could enable small and medium-sized enterprises to forecast demand more accurately and identify previously untapped markets, partially offsetting the negative effects of higher borrowing costs.

Employment concerns and the role of government

The Harvard professor warned that labor markets face a dual challenge stemming from intensified Chinese export competition and accelerating job automation driven by artificial intelligence, developments that could lead to significant disruptions, particularly among younger workers. He said governments must adopt proactive strategies requiring substantial fiscal resources to mitigate near-term labor-market shocks.

According to Antràs, productivity growth remains the central condition for success: if new technologies deliver the anticipated productivity gains, governments will gain the fiscal space needed to compensate affected groups and retrain the workforce, achieving a balance between addressing short-term disruptions and investing in long-term strategic gains.