JEDDAH: A workshop was held to discuss the public-private partnership in the Kingdom’s development, in Jeddah on Tuesday.

The two-day workshop on "the human development is the development of the country," held with the support of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, was organized by the Jeddah Governorate.

There was all-round participation, from the ministries, government agencies, educational departments, security, businessmen and media. Discussed prominently was a road map for the Kingdom’s development and youth programs with a particular stress on integral progress of the various provinces and regions.

Participants reviewed local and global experiences of similar projects, strategic development plans for the region, launch of media campaigns, and organization of workshops for achieving the goals of the development plan.

Prince Khaled detailed the establishment of the integration center to serve the common interests of the provinces and the regions with the participation of the government sector, and Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the private sector.

The center should aim to raise the level of services of the region socially and economically, and identify projects and prioritize them, he said.

Prince Khaled called upon businessmen to come forward and participate in the development of the Kingdom in general and youth in particular, especially the Makkah Region.

He said the program of development partnership is the responsibility of companies as well as individuals.

Hisham Al-Faleh, adviser of the Makkah governor and general supervisor of the urban development of Makkah, made introductory remarks at the workshop and projects, as also its mission and vision. Stress was given to overcoming the obstacles and ensuring the implementation of projects within the set time frame.

Ala’a Sman, director general of the central administration at General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), presented the experience of the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport establishment with the partnership of the private and government sectors.

He said the relative contribution of the private sector in GDP at constant prices in 2014 is estimated at about 49 percent.

Saad Marik, adviser of the Makkah governor, explained the role of the developmental integration center and said the center will handle all the requirements for the development of the region with the partnership of the private sector and relevant government agencies, the private sector involvement through investment in the development projects, and create favorable investment opportunities to attract the private sector.

Essam bin Hassan Al-Kawthar, executive director for scientific research, King Abdulaziz University, gave a presentation on developmental integration in Makkah in light of international experiences.