Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs—may God protect him—announced the launch of strategic offices for the development of the regions of Al-Baha, Al-Jawf, and Jazan, which will serve as the nucleus for the establishment of future development authorities. The goal is to maximize the comparative and competitive advantages of each of the three regions, in addition to developing the investment environment to make these regions attractive for investment in partnership with the private sector.
The announcement of the strategic offices in the three regions comes within the framework of His Royal Highness’s interest and commitment to ensuring that comprehensive development reaches all regions and cities of the Kingdom, benefiting all citizens and creating a thriving economy and a vibrant society for an ambitious nation. His Highness emphasized that efforts are focused on establishing strategic offices in regions that currently lack development authorities or strategic offices, with the aim of developing all regions of the Kingdom without exception.
These strategic offices will aim to address all aspects of development in those regions, focusing on leveraging the development resources each region abounds in to maximize their benefits and transform them into drivers of the economy, in addition to the strategic offices in the three regions carrying out development, coordination, and follow-up activities with all government agencies to stimulate and engage the private sector in the development of their respective regions.
It should be noted that the launch of the strategic offices for the development of the three regions comes within the framework of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s vision to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development in all regions of the Kingdom by maximizing the benefits of each region’s comparative advantages, expanding employment opportunities for citizens across all regions of the Kingdom, and improving the quality of life while upgrading basic services and infrastructure in all regions and cities of the Kingdom.
The Al-Baha region stands out as one of the Kingdom’s most important tourist destinations, as it is home to a large number of forests. Al-Baha is famous for the Raghadan Forest, Al-Qama Park, and Al-Shukran Park, as well as the ancient village of Dhi Ain and numerous other villages and forts.
As for the Al-Jawf region, it is distinguished as one of the oldest settled areas on the Arabian Peninsula; its historical presence dates back to the Paleolithic era. It is also considered one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the Kingdom and is home to the city of Basita, which is known as the “Kingdom’s breadbasket”. It is characterized by a moderate climate in summer and an abundance of fresh groundwater. Al-Jawf is also famous for olive cultivation and accounts for approximately (67%) of the Kingdom’s domestic olive oil production.
The Jazan region boasts many economic advantages in the logistics, agricultural, and heritage sectors. It is home to the Port of Jazan, which is the Kingdom’s third-largest port on the Red Sea coast in terms of capacity. It is also distinguished by its environmental and climatic diversity, and serves as the main gateway to the Farasan Islands. From a cultural heritage perspective, the Jazan region is home to archaeological sites dating back to 8,000 B.C., and it is considered one of the Kingdom’s most important agricultural regions due to the diversity of its crops.
It is worth noting that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s announcement regarding the strategic development offices reflects his commitment to achieving inclusive development. Following the announcement of the Asir Region Development Strategy under the slogan “Peaks and Values,” which aims to bring about a comprehensive developmental renaissance in the region.