Minister of Commerce and Investment Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi

:: Saudi Arabia’s central Qassim region had the potential to become one of the Kingdom’s leading economic hubs, Minister of Commerce and Investment Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi told a meeting of business leaders in Buraidah on Monday.

The meeting at the King Fahd Cultural Center was organized by the Committee for the Development of Investment in Qassim and the region’s chambers of commerce in conjunction with the Biban Al-Qassim Forum.

Al-Qasabi urged stakeholders to identify the issues that needed to be addressed to ensure Qassim’s economic transformation, saying that small and medium-sized businesses held the key to growth in the region.

“Today’s reality is based on the culture of keeping up with the latest developments, accountability and evaluation,” he said.

“The ministry has a clear vision and strategy, as well as a large number of investment-targeted programs and initiatives that aim to facilitate and improve the business environment and help the Kingdom become one of the world’s top 10 economies.”

Vision 2030 has opened new horizons for innovative projects that will create thousands of jobs.

The chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Qassim, Abdul Aziz Al-Hameed, said the private sector needed more reassurances to take chances and invest in large projects. The secretary-general of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Qassim, Saud bin Abdul Karim Al-Fadda, said the meeting aimed to encourage businessmen and entrepreneurs to develop their projects and achieve their ambitions to build a prosperous economy.

The secretary of the Committee for the Development of Investment in Qassim, Yusuf bin Abdullah Al-Arini, said the region was home to 313 factories with a capital of SR14 billion ($3.7 billion). The region’s competitive advantages included its location, motivational work environment, transport network, industrial and commercial cities and free services provided by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.