Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu CEO Dr. Akeeli bin Dhaifullah Khawaji opened in Yanbu on Tuesday the first workshop covering these themes for businessmen and said it was time to focus on the future.

“Progress should not be at the expense of future generations, depleting resources or the environment and should be compatible with local and national needs,” he said.

Representatives of a number of national industrial companies attended the one-day workshop held at the King Fahd Civilization Center in Jubail Industrial City.

Khawaji said since its establishment, the commission has been working to contribute to ambitious national plans to develop the Kingdom to the level of developed industrial countries and improve the welfare and prosperity of citizens.

“The commission has contributed to the construction of basic infrastructure and public utilities for investment, health and education, in addition to creating a conducive investment atmosphere for the industrial sector, which is the core area for development,” he said.

He said current and future challenges require cooperation and commitment from all development partners.

“This workshop is an initiative to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation, in addition to achieving common objectives and improving development and prosperity for residents of the city,” he said.

Director of the department of strategic planning and promotion of investment, Dr. Ala bin Abdullah Naseef, gave a presentation about present and future plans of the commission, its housing projects and investment opportunities.

He said continued cooperation among development partners would reflect positively on the country in general and on the progress of Yanbu Industrial City in particular.

Sabic, Marafiq, Saudi-Aramco, Crystal and other companies as well as the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources also made presentations about their achievements and future plans and strategies.

A rundown on the current and future projects of King Fahd Industrial Seaport was also given.