Summary
Saudi vision disrupted by COVID-19 but goals remain the same
On 26 March 2020, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud chaired an emergency summit of G20 leaders to address the devastation being caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The crisis meeting came three weeks after Riyadh upset the global economic order when it said that it was increasing oil production to record levels following the collapse of the agreement between the Opec+ group of oil producers to cap oil output to prop up oil prices. The result was a crash in oil prices.
Saudi Arabia is without question, the most important market in the Middle East. As the region’s biggest economy and home of Islam’s most important sites, the kingdom dominates the regional landscape. The events in March 2020 provide a reminder, if one was needed, that Riyadh is also a key actor on the global stage, and that it is no longer content to operate quietly in the backroom of global politics.
Despite decades of diversification initiatives, the Saudi economy remains dependent on government spending, and on oil. That is changing. The launch in April 2016 of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform agenda set a new path for a more diversified, private sector-led economy. In October 2017, Riyadh unveiled a series of ‘gigaprojects’, including the $500bn Neom future city, to drive investment and business opportunities. In late 2019, a new round of reforms opened up the tourism market.
Critical to the vision are the country’s $1.4 trillion of major projects planned or under construction. Saudi Arabia is by far the biggest projects market in the region, nearly double the size of the next largest market, the UAE. The kingdom is home to almost half of all projects planned in the GCC. But the collapse in global economic activity caused by the COVID-19 crisis, and the subsequent crash in oil prices has raised questions about the prospects for Vison 2030 and the Saudi projects sector. In the short-to-medium term, Riyadh’s diversification drive will be severely disrupted. The crisis has introduced urgent economic and health challenges at home and abroad that must take priority.
The fall in oil revenues coupled with massive stimulus spending and monetary easing initiatives aimed at mitigating the economic disruption will rewrite the kingdom’s fiscal and business landscape for years to come. Riyadh will continue to invest, but its priorities have shifted. Social infrastructure and oil and gas projects now have the highest priority. Investment will continue, but the pace of spending will slow. Rising budget deficits will force Riyadh to increase borrowing and tap new sources of finance. Budgets will be rewritten to minimise deficit and debt growth.
Over the long term, Saudi Arabia’s strategic goals are unchanged. The kingdom’s growing population of over 32 million people is driving demand for all kinds of goods and services, ranging from consumer products, to electricity, healthcare services and infrastructure. It is also driving the need for new jobs for the kingdom’s young people. Riyadh must get Vision 2030 back on track as quickly as possible.
Written by MEED, the Middle East market experts within the publisher's group, "Saudi Arabia 2020 - Long-term opportunities in the Middle East’s biggest market" has been updated in April 2020 to consider the impact of coronavirus on the Saudi economy. It provides a comprehensive guide for companies seeking to work in Saudi Arabia. Covering oil & gas, petrochemicals, power, construction, water, manufacturing and transport, the report is a powerful resource for anyone seeking to find opportunities, understand risks and set strategy in Saudi Arabia.
Scope
Reasons to Buy
Saudi vision disrupted by COVID-19 but goals remain the same
On 26 March 2020, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud chaired an emergency summit of G20 leaders to address the devastation being caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The crisis meeting came three weeks after Riyadh upset the global economic order when it said that it was increasing oil production to record levels following the collapse of the agreement between the Opec+ group of oil producers to cap oil output to prop up oil prices. The result was a crash in oil prices.
Saudi Arabia is without question, the most important market in the Middle East. As the region’s biggest economy and home of Islam’s most important sites, the kingdom dominates the regional landscape. The events in March 2020 provide a reminder, if one was needed, that Riyadh is also a key actor on the global stage, and that it is no longer content to operate quietly in the backroom of global politics.
Despite decades of diversification initiatives, the Saudi economy remains dependent on government spending, and on oil. That is changing. The launch in April 2016 of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform agenda set a new path for a more diversified, private sector-led economy. In October 2017, Riyadh unveiled a series of ‘gigaprojects’, including the $500bn Neom future city, to drive investment and business opportunities. In late 2019, a new round of reforms opened up the tourism market.
Critical to the vision are the country’s $1.4 trillion of major projects planned or under construction. Saudi Arabia is by far the biggest projects market in the region, nearly double the size of the next largest market, the UAE. The kingdom is home to almost half of all projects planned in the GCC. But the collapse in global economic activity caused by the COVID-19 crisis, and the subsequent crash in oil prices has raised questions about the prospects for Vison 2030 and the Saudi projects sector. In the short-to-medium term, Riyadh’s diversification drive will be severely disrupted. The crisis has introduced urgent economic and health challenges at home and abroad that must take priority.
The fall in oil revenues coupled with massive stimulus spending and monetary easing initiatives aimed at mitigating the economic disruption will rewrite the kingdom’s fiscal and business landscape for years to come. Riyadh will continue to invest, but its priorities have shifted. Social infrastructure and oil and gas projects now have the highest priority. Investment will continue, but the pace of spending will slow. Rising budget deficits will force Riyadh to increase borrowing and tap new sources of finance. Budgets will be rewritten to minimise deficit and debt growth.
Over the long term, Saudi Arabia’s strategic goals are unchanged. The kingdom’s growing population of over 32 million people is driving demand for all kinds of goods and services, ranging from consumer products, to electricity, healthcare services and infrastructure. It is also driving the need for new jobs for the kingdom’s young people. Riyadh must get Vision 2030 back on track as quickly as possible.
Written by MEED, the Middle East market experts within the publisher's group, "Saudi Arabia 2020 - Long-term opportunities in the Middle East’s biggest market" has been updated in April 2020 to consider the impact of coronavirus on the Saudi economy. It provides a comprehensive guide for companies seeking to work in Saudi Arabia. Covering oil & gas, petrochemicals, power, construction, water, manufacturing and transport, the report is a powerful resource for anyone seeking to find opportunities, understand risks and set strategy in Saudi Arabia.
Scope
- The report provides a comprehensive snapshot of the region’s biggest projects market at the start of 2020 and examines the immediate impact of COVID-19 on the country’s outlook, as well as an assessment of the long-term opportunities for business, investment and projects in the kingdom.
- The report is of extreme high-value to anyone seeking to identify opportunities, understand risks and set strategy in the Middle East’s biggest projects market.
Reasons to Buy
- Detailed assessment of the long term opportunities for business and projects in the Middle East’s biggest market
- Comprehensive review of the impact of COVID-19 on the Saudi market
- Outlook for policy and investment in the kingdom
- Projects opportunities with client and procurement details
- Investment drivers and client spending plans
- Understand risks and set strategy in the Mena oil and gas market
- Complete assessment of the economic outlook for the kingdom
- Update on the Vision 2030 reform agenda
- Detailed analysis of all the major business sector in the kingdom including: oil & gas; power & water; construction, petrochemicals, transport and lots, lots more
Table of Contents
1. The impact of coronavirus on Saudi Arabia
2. Economic transformation
3. Government
4. Economy
5. Projects market
6. Oil and Gas
7. Petrochemicals
8. Mining and natural resources
9. Industry
10. Power
11. Renewable energy
12. Desalination
13. Wastewater
14. Construction
15. Tourism
16. Rail
17. Aviation
18. Ports
19. Doing Business
List of Tables
List of Figures
