Author: OBG Admin

Ali Bongo Ondimba-President of Gabon

High in value, low in intensity: The focus is shifting to organic farming and less water-intensive methods and crops

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

Although Saudi Arabia’s policy shift on self-sufficiency and wheat production over the last five years has garnered the most attention, the government has instituted a number of other plans to mitigate the effects of agricultural production on the country’s water reserves. One of the most important moves in this respect has been the emphasis on organic and greenhouse production, methods of farming that will place less of a burden on the water-stressed country. WATER USAGE: Agriculture has been the leading consumer of water. However, given

Azzan Al Busaidi-CEO-Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa)

Ready to go: Attracting foreign investment with purpose-built industrial cities

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

In its drive to diversify its industrial base and attract inward investment into the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia offers commercial land at significantly discounted rates in zones known as industrial cities. Although there is no prohibition on the construction of made-to-measure factories by businesses moving to one of these industrial cities, there are off-the-peg, ready-made units for light industrial purposes in most parts of the country. MODON: The Saudi Industrial Property Authority ( MODON) was established in 2001 and tasked with establishing, developing and operating industrial cities to ensure the availability of commercial space with integrated services and facilities to meet the needs and requirements of

Xi Jinping-President of China

Just the ticket: The capital’s new public transport network will utilise the most advanced ticketing technology

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

With work rapidly advancing on Riyadh’s flagship integrated transport network, local authorities have recently been deciding which ticketing system to implement for the project. The decision is an important one: with SR82.5bn ($22bn) being invested in the metro system alone, an effective ticketing system will be key to attracting sufficient passengers – and revenue – to make the service sustainable. A total of 10 international companies bid for the contract to implement and operate the new network’s ticketing system, and in January 2015, the Arriyadh

David Gledhill-CEO-Port of Salalah

New networks: Billions of riyals are being invested in metro systems

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

Saudi residents have long enjoyed cheap and abundant supplies of fuel, making car ownership the preferred choice for transport. Yet with the number of new cars on the road expected to reach 1m per year by 2020, and a population increasingly concentrated in the Kingdom’s main urban centres, municipal authorities are beginning to look to mass transit alternatives. Indeed, five Saudi cities are currently either building or planning major integrated transport systems, with total investment (based on current reports) expected to reach SR250bn ($66.63bn) through to 2025. Of the $190bn of transport infrastructure spending currently forecast in the Kingdom, OBG estimates over a third (35.3%)

Mohammed El Etreby-Chairman-Banque Misr

Paving the way: Government investment in the sector drives growth

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

Since the global slowdown of 2008, the Saudi authorities have committed huge sums in infrastructure spending to spur demand in the economy. The government’s strategy has focused on improving transport infrastructure, with unprecedented levels of investment in rail, aviation and port facilities. With oil prices falling, the government is once more stepping in with spending to boost the economy, and a fresh round of investment in transport is in the offing. A SLEW OF PROJECTS: According to government sources, the transport sector is currently the target of some $141bn of investment in rail and public transport alone, with an estimated $90bn of spending forecast on

Sheikh Ahmad Duaij Jaber Al Sabah-Chairman-Commercial Bank of Kuwait

Restoration efforts: Successful bio-mediation projects are being reproduced

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

The population expansion that has taken place in Saudi Arabia in the last 50 years has not been without consequences for the environment, particularly in urban areas, and the country is now rehabilitating its cities. Local and international teams of engineers, ecologists and architects are working with government agencies, which in turn are attempting to attract investment in sustainable rehabilitation projects. WADI HANIFAH: The most high-profile scheme to have taken place saw one of the capital city’s main water courses transformed from a sewer into a clean, green ribbon of riverside parkland that has become a treasured civic amenity. The Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) worked

Nhon Luc Ly-CEO-AIA Myanmar; Son Nguyen-Country President-Chubb Life Insurance Myanmar; Daw Zarchi Tin-CEO

Water from waste: Efforts to reuse urban wastewater for irrigation are under way

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

During the Kingdom’s rapid process of urbanisation, the condition of Saudi Arabia’s natural waterways deteriorated. The wadis that first attracted settlers to Riyadh were neglected and their waters rendered undrinkable. These were replaced by desalinated water produced hundreds of kilometres away on the east coast. In Jeddah, flash floods claimed 123 lives in 2009 and struck the city once again in 2011. In recent years there has also been a resurgence of interest in the restoration of the natural wadis and waterways beneath the Kingdom’s cities and a growing appetite for more efficient treatment and reuse of wastewater. FLOOD PREVENTION: Jeddah responded to the flooding

Xi Jinping-President of China

A holistic approach: Establishing a more stable lending environment through the introduction of new consumer protection regulations

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

Banks in Saudi Arabia, like their counterparts elsewhere in the region, have benefitted from an increased appetite for loans from retail customers as the economy has shrugged off the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis. Retail lending, according to Aljazira Capital, increased as a share of total loans from around 21% in 2008 to 29.3% in 2014. For this reason, recent interventions by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) in the area of consumer protection are widely seen as being timely. Its most visible

Peter Wong-Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive-HSBC

The long game: New development plan shows clear commitment to education and the private sector

Posted OBG AdminPosted in Uncategorized

Charting a course for government policy over the next five years, the Kingdom’s 10th Development Plan, which runs from 2015 to 2019, places renewed emphasis on education and private sector development as the keys to economic diversification. In this regard, the plan represents the next step towards achieving the government’s long-term vision for the country. As Osama Mansouri, advisor to the minister of economy and planning, told OBG, “The first five years of the 10th Development Plan mark the start of the 15-year transformation of the Saudi economy into a knowledge economy.” On a macroeconomic level, the government has declared its intention to pursue fiscal

Emmanuel Macron-President of France

Funding the gap: Lenders are showing growing interest in SMEs

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The Saudi Arabian banking sector has a significant growth opportunity in the form of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. The nation’s SMEs account for around 90% of registered businesses and 60% of total employment, according to a recent report by Aljazira Capital, and as a result they occupy a central position in the Kingdom’s development strategy. “With lower oil prices, the importance of growing the private sector’s contribution to GDP has become clear. The best way to do this is by boosting the SME segment,” Ibrahim Al Hunaishel, director-general of Saudi Credit and Savings Bank, told OBG. VAST POTENTIAL: The prospects for an