JEDDAH: There have been over 13 million tweets on the Arabic version of the Saudi government’s Vision 2030 twitter handle @saudivision2030, with users praising efforts to transform the economy, according to a local publication on Tuesday.

This came in the wake of the announcement by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister, of sweeping economic reforms to reduce the country’s dependence on oil and ensure long-term sustainable development, with plans for a $2 trillion sovereign fund.

The plan has been welcomed by Saudis who said they supported the prince in his plans to overhaul the economy to ensure a better life for citizens, particularly low and middle-income earners, the report stated.

The response on Twitter involved 83 percent males and 17 percent females, with 52 percent of the responses being made through the hashtag “Thank you, Mohammed bin Salman.”

Hundreds of Saudis sent thank you messages to the prince who is also head of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, the body set up to oversee the economic transformation of the country.

User Yasmin posted a message stating: “Thank you, Prince of Youth, may God protect and help you on your course of action.” A person named Dr. Samir stated that the prince has developed an “astute ... economic vision” for the country.

Tens of nationals also tweeted about the contents of the interview that Prince Mohammed gave Al-Arabiya, with many talking about the manner in which he was going about boosting the country, investing in the country’s youth, increasing investment opportunities and reducing unemployment.