New opportunities emerging in Saudi Arabia’s transformation
It is five years since, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud unveiled Vision 2030, a national agenda for economic and social reform aimed at launching an new era of investment in the kingdom that would accelerate diversification, plug the housing shortage, open up tourism, and expand the kingdom’s manufacturing base.
Five years on, and despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vison 2030 is delivering an economic surge that is creating exciting opportunities for companies and investors in almost every area of the economy. It is also bringing new challenges.
Project opportunities
For real estate developers and construction companies, many of these opportunities are emerging on the vision’s real estate gigaprojects such as Neom future city, Qiddiya entertainment city, Diriyah Gate, Amaala and the Red Sea Project. And while significant project contracts are already being awarded, it is clear that the best is yet to come. Thousands of project packages are in the pipeline that will drive project spending and business opportunities for many years.
PPP and Privatisation
The new opportunities are not only in construction. The wide-ranging political, institutional, and financial reforms of the past five years are also generating prospects in new areas such as renewable energy, advanced technology, transport, shipbuilding, healthcare, food, and aerospace. Behind it all, is the kingdom’s new economic champion, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The Impact of COVID-19
In 2020, Riyadh’s ambitions were knocked by COVID-19, particularly its impact on travel and tourism. Even the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, which generate as much as12bn a year in revenues, were reduced to a fraction of normal levels.
Despite its deep impact, COVID has not fundamentally changed the direction of travel for Riyadh. While short-term challenges centre on the fiscal problems of reduced oil income and the need to raise non-oil revenues and cut spending, structural reform, diversification, and job creation remain the long-term goals.
Fiscal Consolidation
The events of 2020 narrowed Riyadh’s fiscal space to balance these priorities. Despite making cuts and raising new revenue streams such as the increased 15 per cent VAT rate, fiscal consolidation remains high on the agenda. A return to budget surpluses appears increasingly remote and has added urgency to the privatisation programme.
This year began with a bang as the government rewrote the functions of the central bank to make economic growth part of its mandate, and likely precipitating further transfers of the kingdom’s foreign reserves to the PIF. The move signals Riyadh’s intent to mobilise all available asset pools to accelerate future-focused investments.
Challenges for Business
While Saudi Arabia’s banks must grapple with the financial fallout from the pandemic, localisation targets place new obligations on companies. Legislative updates, such as limiting government contracts to Saudi-headquartered companies and the newly launched public-private partnership law, will require companies to quickly adapt in an increasingly competitive environment.
Nonetheless, most companies would rather face these challenges in a high-reward market like Saudi Arabia than take on the risks presented by the regional decline in new opportunities.
Written by MEED, the publisher's Middle East market experts, "Saudi Arabia 2021" report is 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.
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.
ScopeReasons to Buy
It is five years since, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud unveiled Vision 2030, a national agenda for economic and social reform aimed at launching an new era of investment in the kingdom that would accelerate diversification, plug the housing shortage, open up tourism, and expand the kingdom’s manufacturing base.
Five years on, and despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vison 2030 is delivering an economic surge that is creating exciting opportunities for companies and investors in almost every area of the economy. It is also bringing new challenges.
Project opportunities
For real estate developers and construction companies, many of these opportunities are emerging on the vision’s real estate gigaprojects such as Neom future city, Qiddiya entertainment city, Diriyah Gate, Amaala and the Red Sea Project. And while significant project contracts are already being awarded, it is clear that the best is yet to come. Thousands of project packages are in the pipeline that will drive project spending and business opportunities for many years.
PPP and Privatisation
The new opportunities are not only in construction. The wide-ranging political, institutional, and financial reforms of the past five years are also generating prospects in new areas such as renewable energy, advanced technology, transport, shipbuilding, healthcare, food, and aerospace. Behind it all, is the kingdom’s new economic champion, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The Impact of COVID-19
In 2020, Riyadh’s ambitions were knocked by COVID-19, particularly its impact on travel and tourism. Even the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, which generate as much as12bn a year in revenues, were reduced to a fraction of normal levels.
Despite its deep impact, COVID has not fundamentally changed the direction of travel for Riyadh. While short-term challenges centre on the fiscal problems of reduced oil income and the need to raise non-oil revenues and cut spending, structural reform, diversification, and job creation remain the long-term goals.
Fiscal Consolidation
The events of 2020 narrowed Riyadh’s fiscal space to balance these priorities. Despite making cuts and raising new revenue streams such as the increased 15 per cent VAT rate, fiscal consolidation remains high on the agenda. A return to budget surpluses appears increasingly remote and has added urgency to the privatisation programme.
This year began with a bang as the government rewrote the functions of the central bank to make economic growth part of its mandate, and likely precipitating further transfers of the kingdom’s foreign reserves to the PIF. The move signals Riyadh’s intent to mobilise all available asset pools to accelerate future-focused investments.
Challenges for Business
While Saudi Arabia’s banks must grapple with the financial fallout from the pandemic, localisation targets place new obligations on companies. Legislative updates, such as limiting government contracts to Saudi-headquartered companies and the newly launched public-private partnership law, will require companies to quickly adapt in an increasingly competitive environment.
Nonetheless, most companies would rather face these challenges in a high-reward market like Saudi Arabia than take on the risks presented by the regional decline in new opportunities.
Written by MEED, the publisher's Middle East market experts, "Saudi Arabia 2021" report is 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.
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.
ScopeReasons to Buy
- Detailed assessment of the long term opportunities for business and projects in the Middle East’s biggest market
- A 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
Table of Contents
1. The impact of Covid-19 on Saudi Arabia
2. Government
3. Economy
4. Vision 2030
5. Projects market
6. PPP in Saudi Arabia
7. Oil and gas
8. Petrochemicals
9. Mining and natural resources
10. Industry
11. Power and renewables
12. Water and desalination
13. Wastewater
14. Construction
15. Tourism
16. Rail
17. Aviation
18. Ports
19. Doing Business
List of Tables
List of Figures
