Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal yesterday reaffirmed his full support for the “Made in Makkah” project and called upon the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and businessmen to work together to make it a big success.

Addressing a ceremony marking the inauguration of new headquarters of Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the governor highlighted the important position of Makkah, to which Muslims all over the world turn during prayer.

“I always call for serious work. If we have determination and good management we can surely reach the top,” the governor said, while commending the chamber members for putting much effort to establish the SR 160 million building.

Prince Khaled reminded government officials and businessmen in Makkah of their great responsibility in serving the millions of Muslim faithful who come from all over the world to perform Haj and Umrah.

“We should provide them the best possible services and we should behave in the most civilized manner, representing people of this blessed land,” he said.

Prince Khaled urged MCCI and Makkah mayoralty to give utmost importance to “Made in Makkah” project to make it a reality in the near future. “It’s our project and it’s the duty of Makkah people to make it successful.”

During the function, Prince Khaled honored prominent businessmen Saleh Kamil, Yahya Binladen, Yousuf Al-Ahmedi and Mishaal Al-Zayedi. He also watched a documentary on MCCI and its achievements. Earlier, the governor toured the new building and inspected its facilities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Saleh Kamil, who is chairman of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, praised Makkah businessmen for constructing a state-of-the-art headquarters to promote their activities.

He commended Prince Khaled for his efforts for the development of Makkah and playing active role in its achievements. “Makkah has all the potentials to become a major world business center and we hope to see a large number of ‘Made in Makkah’ products,” he said.

MCCI Chairman Talal Mirza said the new headquarters, covering an area of 13,000 square meters, would serve Makkah businessmen and industrialists for the next 50 years. He said it took 14 months to complete the project.

MCCI’s new headquarters is designed to serve 50,000 businesspeople in the city, said Mirza, adding that it would stand out as a cultural landmark, providing better facilities for the business community.

“We have decided to construct the building as part of the chamber’s 10-point development plan,” the chairman said, adding that it would serve the trade, industrial and service sectors. The five-floor high-tech building has seven conference halls for various activities including a large hall to conduct conferences and forums and another for staging exhibitions of products and services. It has a businessmen’s club and a training institute.