In line with the Council of Saudi Chambers“ ”Ministerial Conferences“ initiative, which focuses on engaging with the private sector, the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the first Ministerial Conference yesterday, Sunday, which highlighted the Hajj and Umrah sector as one of the target sectors in Vision 2030 by increasing the capacity to accommodate Umrah pilgrims from 8 million to 30 million Umrah pilgrims by 2030. The event was attended by Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Benten, Fahd Al-Sukait, Head of the Local Content and Private Sector Development Unit at the Council of Economic and Development Affairs; Hindi Al-Suhaimi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance; Engineer Saleh Al-Rashid, Governor of the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises; Engineer Ahmed Al-Rajhi, Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers; Hisham Kaaki, Chairman of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and a number of heads of chambers of commerce and industry and major investors in the Hajj and Umrah sector.
As part of its initiative to engage with the private sector, the Council of Saudi Chambers launched the ”Ministerial Conferences“ initiative, which falls under the Private Sector Stimulus Plan launched by the Local Content and Private Sector Development Unit ”Namaa” last December, It is overseen by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment with the aim of strengthening the relationship and integration between the public and private sectors, achieving national development in line with each region’s competitive and comparative advantages, supporting and encouraging investment in various regions of the Kingdom, and removing obstacles and challenges to realize the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Following the conclusion of the conference, the Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers, Engineer Ahmed Al-Rajhi, expressed the business sector’s gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and his trusted Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Chairman of the Council and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs—may God protect them both— for their interest in and support of the Saudi private sector and its various issues through the holding of these ministerial conferences at the chambers of commerce and industry in various regions of the Kingdom, which serve to highlight investment opportunities in each region and ways to promote and support them in a manner that serves the Kingdom’s economic development process, and to allow the private sector in the relevant region to present its views on economic decisions and regulations and their impact on the private sector, thereby contributing to advancing regional development across the Kingdom and achieving Vision 2030.
Al-Rajhi emphasized that this meeting is part of a series of meetings to be held in the coming period, hosted by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, with the aim of strengthening communication between the business sector—as a contributor and partner in development and in realizing the Kingdom’s future vision—and government agencies, as well as involving the business sector in government policies and ways to stimulate the private sector, and activating the most appropriate channels and tools to meet the private sector’s expectations and aspirations by contributing to the development of regulations and overcoming the obstacles and challenges facing various economic sectors.
The Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers noted that these ministerial conferences are expected to yield numerous positive outcomes, the most important of which include highlighting competitive advantages and stimulating investment opportunities across the Kingdom’s regions, addressing the obstacles and challenges facing economic sectors, and launching initiatives to stimulate private sector development. At the same time, he highlighted the commitment of the business sector and its institutional bodies—represented by the Council of Saudi Chambers and the Chambers of Commerce and Industry—to implementing the directives of the wise leadership —may God preserve them—by holding these ministerial conferences on schedule, as well as fulfilling their aspirations to increase the private sector’s contribution to GDP.
