On the occasion of the National Day, key members of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) lauded the Kingdom’s achievements in economic, developmental and urban spheres.

RCCI Board Chairman Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Al-Zamil said the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abduyllah has steadily continued efforts based on strategic planning to meet the challenges arising from unstable global economic conditions. Despite that, the Kingdom has managed to register economic growth and is expected to realize higher growth rates during this current year, he said.

To prove the strength of the national economy, Al-Zamil cited the Kingdom’s budget of the current year which is considered the biggest in the history of the country at SR855 billion to meet the requirements of citizens, support economic development, create new jobs for young job-seekers, intensify efforts for infrastructure projects, and nurture the potentials of Saudi citizens through the promotion of education, health and training.

He also cited the Kingdom’s attainment of the highest credit rating among the Arab countries given by Fitch Credit Agency which raised the Kingdom’s credit rating from –AA to AA with a stable outlook last March.

Al-Zamil also said that the Kingdom’s strategy to maintain its position in the list of the most powerful global economies in the G-20 is gaining momentum based on mega plans and projects to diversify sources of its economy to be converted into a multiple-resource economy.

With this view, the Kingdom is launching mega projects such as the King Abdullah Economic City, King Abdullah Financial Center, public transport projects, rail network, the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques, and housing, in addition to efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s position on the map of global competitiveness.

Vice Board Chairman of RCCI and Head of the Investment and Securities Committee Khalid Al-Miqairin said the Kingdom is proud to celebrate this occasion due to its key achievements in all walks of life thanks to wise policies under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Sami bin Abdulkarim, the vice board chairman and head of the Medical Committee at RCCI, said that the anniversary of the National Day is an opportunity to reflect deeply on the achievements made since the reign of the founder King Abdulaziz down to the rule of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Abdulkarim, referred to the health services in particular, which he said, have reached outstanding levels of excellence for the safety of human health. The medical institutions have reached levels of preparedness whether in terms of medical devices and staff, he said. “In this context, the Kingdom allocated about 108 billion riyals of the current budget for health services and social development sectors,” he said.

Mohammed bin Hamad Al Kathiri, RCCI secretary general, said the Kingdom’s economy has proved its capability to deal with the developments of the global economy and also managed to register good growth rates in the current year which was positively reflected in the Kingdom’s capacity to implement developmental programs in accordance with the set plans.