Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zamil, Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers, during the opening of the Second National Forum for Businesswomen at the Four Seasons Hotel—organized by the Council of Saudi Chambers under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz—revealed that the volume of women’s bank deposits has risen to an estimated 60 billion, while the number of commercial registrations stands at 130,000. He noted that the unemployment rate among women has reached 32.1% in remote areas, while it stands at 5.1% among young people. .
The forum’s first working session addressed the development and promotion of women’s investments through three main themes, including statistics on business registrations for women entrepreneurs, “growth rates in size and type,” performance indicators for women-owned businesses in the Kingdom, and the search for development solutions to address the obstacles facing women entrepreneurs by reviewing supportive programs and initiatives, including: public-private partnerships, local business networks, incubators, and accelerators.
The session reviewed the sector’s growth indicators, stages of development, and motivating factors for women entrepreneurs, and identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of the women’s investment sector, in addition to highlighting available opportunities supporting the women’s investment sector, as well as local programs and initiatives offered by government, civil society, and private entities, aimed at women entrepreneurs and the development of women’s investments.
For his part, Dr. Mufarrij Al-Haqbani, Minister of Labor, spoke, emphasizing that his ministry is working to support women’s employment and their participation in development, and that women can take the initiative in many fields, adding that the Kingdom’s representation in the International Labour Organization through a businesswoman is the greatest proof of its effectiveness. He highlighted the strength of the Saudi economy and its ability to generate investment opportunities for both men and women, He highlighted the role of the Economic Council for Development as an effective tool in making economic decisions and called on businesswomen to take advantage of this economic momentum and administrative development.
Al-Haqbani said that women are capable of leading economic growth, expressing his hope that Saudi women will benefit from the services provided by government agencies. He noted that his ministry is working on a number of initiatives that serve women, including remote work, in addition to focusing on remote areas.
The session was chaired by Talaat Zaki Hafez, Secretary-General of the Media and Banking Awareness Committee at the Saudi Banks Association, and featured remarks by Her Royal Highness Princess Lulwa Al-Faisal, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Mufarrij bin Saad Al-Haqbani, Minister of Labor, and Saleh bin Eid Al-Hussaini, Chairman of the Shura Council’s Committee on Economy and Energy.
