Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majed Al-Hogail said that the newly constituted National Center for Inspection and Oversight (NCIO) will work, in cooperation and coordination with the relevant government agencies, to develop a plan to unify inspection and oversight activities among various government agencies.

Al-Hogail, who is also chairman of the Board of Directors of NCIO, said that the new center will contribute to improving the business environment in the Kingdom. The Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved the establishment of NCIO, which aims to coordinate inspection and oversight activities between government agencies. “This mechanism will be implemented gradually, whether in terms of the geographical scope of implementation or the areas of inspection and oversight that will be unified, with the aim of reducing the burden of repeated oversight visits to private sector establishments by multiple agencies,” he said.

He affirmed that the center will ensure transparency and integrity in oversight and inspection work, review the mechanisms for forming committees to examine objections, in a way that preserves the rights of all parties, in addition to implementing awareness campaigns in cooperation with government agencies to raise awareness of the rules, regulations, and requirements, which contributes to raising compliance rates.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmed Al-Rajhi said that the center will enhance the coordination of joint work in inspection and oversight with the relevant authorities, and develop oversight mechanisms and procedures, which will have positive results in unifying efforts and improving the business environment. He lauded the unlimited support and keenness of the wise leadership to all supportive decisions in this respect.

It is noteworthy that the establishment of the center comes as one of the national initiatives aimed at improving the business environment in the Kingdom within the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030. The NCIO includes several specializations entrusted to it, including developing procedures that guarantee the performance of the supervisory role with transparency and integrity, reviewing the mechanisms for forming committees to consider objections, and implementing periodic campaigns with the relevant government agencies.

The work of the center will also provide support in raising the efficiency of supervisory work and raising the compliance rate, using the latest technical tools, which enhances the efficiency of the labor market and improves the regulatory environment in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 programs.

On his part, Dr. Hisham Al-Jadhey, CEO of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, stressed the importance of the decision to improve the business environment in the Kingdom, and protect the rights of consumers and beneficiaries by coordinating oversight and inspection efforts among government agencies and establishing procedures that ensure transparency and integrity. “The center will contribute to reducing the burden of recurrent visits on regulatory authorities, raising the compliance rates of private sector establishments, and making optimal use of human and financial resources,” he added.