JEDDAH, 20 March 2003 ­— The Saudi Japanese Automobile High Institute (SJAHI), which was dedicated to the nation yesterday by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, opens a new era in the long-standing relations between the Kingdom and Japan.

The crown prince, accompanied by ministers, officials, SJAHI’s Japanese and Saudi partners, and businessmen, cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the formal opening of the institute, which had its soft opening last September.

He also unveiled a memorial plaque to mark the inauguration and was given a tour of the facility, described as the first of its kind in the Middle East.

The institute, built on a piece of land donated by the crown prince, aims to make Saudi youth technically qualified in general car maintenance.

Earlier, Prince Abdullah laid the foundation stone for the headquarters of the National Guard’s special security battalion in Bahra. He also opened the National Guard’s training center in the Western Province.

Later in a press statement, Prince Abdullah highlighted the remarkable role being played by the Saudi armed forces and the National Guard in defending the Kingdom, its people and the sacred religious sites.

The SJAHI facility, situated 25km from Jeddah on the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway, includes 20 classrooms and laboratories for English language, science and computer; 10 classrooms for practical training; and two big workshops with the most sophisticated training equipment in addition to 80 cars provided by Japanese manufacturers and their local distributors for practical training in maintenance. It also includes a library and a dormitory for students, a mosque for 400 persons in addition to recreational facilities. Annually, 200 high school graduates will be accepted as trainees for a two-year academic and technical course in automobile engineering.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in a message described the institute as an important milestone in bilateral relations. “This is a unique project and will herald a new bilateral era of cooperation involving both public and private sectors,” said the message that was read by Japanese Ambassador Nobuyasu Abe. “Japan values its relations with the Kingdom and they are as important to the private sector as they are to the government,” Koizumi said.

Toshihiro Iwatake, director general of international department of Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), said the establishment of the institute had its origin in 1998 when the crown prince visited Japan and presented the idea to train the Saudi national cadre. The association conducted a feasibility study and initiated a plan to prepare its curriculum.

Dr. Ali Naser Al-Ghafis, governor of the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVT), emphasized that the institute was part of the Kingdom’s efforts to nationalize jobs and further activate the role of the private sector in developing the process.

Ihab Misbah, speaking on behalf of the trainees, said the institute offered an opportunity to high school graduates to study and specialize in automobile maintenance and engineering. Those who graduate from the institute could also consider starting their own business in car maintenance.

Giving an overview of the various stages of development of SJAHI, its Director Salim Hassan Al-Asmarei said the Japanese and Saudi governments represented by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and GOTEVT signed the project agreement in May 2001. The two governments, in cooperation with Japan Automobile Manufacturers association (JAMA) and Japanese Automobile Distributors in the Kingdom (JADIK) as private sectors launched the implementation. Sixteen months later the project was completed and was fully equipped to accept its first batch of students.

This year, the institute will run at full capacity as the original 200 students go into their second year and 200 others are accepted for the first year.

Local distributors of Japanese cars -- Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Mazda, Isuzu, Subaru and Daihatsu are partners in the SR100 million project with Japanese car manufacturers.