6th Jeddah industrial forum to discuss sector’s role in ‘achieving strategic goals’

JEDDAH — The sixth industrial forum will be held at the Jeddah Hilton tomorrow (Wednesday) under the theme: "National Transition…Towards Industrial Transformation." Makkah Emir Khaled Al-Faisal will sponsor the conference which will be attended by Minister of Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al-Rabiah along with businessmen, industrialists, investors and a number of government officials. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor for Special Programs Abdul Moneim Al-Shihri will present a working paper before the forum to highlight the ministry's efforts to supply the industrial sector with women cadres. Chairperson of the forum, Ulfat Qabani, who is member of the industrial committee of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), said the forum will reinforce the growth of the industrial sector which has greatly developed during the past few years thanks to the continued government support. She said the forum will discuss a number of issues and will review the role of the industrial sector in achieving the Kingdom's strategic economic goals. "After oil, the industrial sector is second most important element in the national economy," she said. Ibrahim Batarji, chairman of the JCCI's industrial committee, said the forum is a point of confluence for the industrialists to come together under one roof to achieve the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to make the coming years overflowing with accomplishments that will boost the role of the sectors of industry and services in the national economy. He said the forum will debate the contribution of the industrial sector in the process of national transition. "The meeting will also entice young men and women to discover the sector with a view to entering it so as to map their own small enterprises," he said. Batarji said the forum will discuss the diversification of economy, sources of income and exports through the boosting of industrial investments aimed at achieving the sustainable development and providing more working opportunities for Saudi men and women. — SG