The conference, entitled “Investment Opportunities in the Country’s Region,” is scheduled to take place in Riyadh on Oct.4-5 and is the first major meeting of Saudi businesswomen to be jointly sponsored under the patronage of a royal representative, Princess Saita bint Abdullah and the civil and private labor sectors.

The aim, according to a statement from the organization, is to allow women to play a more active role in the domestic economy and provide more jobs for Saudi women.

According to a report released last week by Al-Masah Capital, the Saudi female jobless rate is currently at 24.9 percent. “This reveals the huge potential for including the Saudi women in the labor force and utilizing them in the broader economic development,” stated the report called “Saudi Women: A Catalyst for Change,” said.

Chamber statistics have said that Saudi women, despite sitting on a SR44.6 billion stockpile of cash and SR7.1 billion in real estate, only account for 4.3 percent of total private-sector firms.

“Women at the conference will have a chance to get acquainted with services provided by the Chamber and the government to promote domestic investment as well as available financing tools for projects sought by Saudi women investors,” said the chamber statement.

Some topics and social dilemmas expected to be discussed by Saudi women at the upcoming conference have already been outlined in a report released last month by the Sayeda Khadijah bint Khwailad Businesswomen Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The report entitled, “Businesswomen in Saudi Arabia: Characteristics, Challenges, and Aspirations,” was based on a nationwide survey which revealed many obstacles standing in the way of investment opportunities for Saudi women, which were found to primarily society-based.

Obstacles included the regulation that women business owners must employ a male manager to run the business, as well as restrictions on mobility such as international travel and lack of business licenses for certain industries.

Citing latest statistics, 45 percent of the Kingdom’s population, are women which have not been allowed to exercise their full economic potential. According to analysts, Saudi women could very well be a major key to providing success to the Kingdom’s three- decade- long diversification plan releasing them from sole dependence on oil revenues.