RIYADH, 17 October — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, will inaugurate a high-profile symposium on the "Future vision of the Saudi economy" at King Faisal Hall here on Saturday.
The symposium, which will run until Oct. 23, is being organized by the Ministry of Planning in collaboration with the World Bank. Top officials from various ministries, public- and private-sector agencies as well as international organizations will address the symposium. Among the key participants will be Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and several speakers from the World Bank.
According to Deputy Minister of Planning Ahmed Al-Hakami, the symposium has been divided into various sessions, such as economic diversification, human resources development, drivers of the new economy, public/private partnership, exports and foreign direct investment, small and medium enterprises and information and communication technology.
Some of the major topics on the agenda include the future of the petrochemical industries, future strategy of the industrial sector 2020, future of health services in the Kingdom, challenges facing Saudization, the future of higher education, the direction of the Saudi economy, long-term challenges facing the oil market, and the Saudi economy under the changing global context.
The deputy minister said the symposium will explore different ways for the development of the human capital and what needs to be done to improve the job market tools. It will review the Saudization program as well as the future education and training needs. "It will define the main objectives of the economic diversification program, especially in the non-oil sector, and formulate a strategy for developing financing mechanisms.
