Saudi Vision 2030 Achievements Showcased at the National Transformation Program Event

In Riyadh on March 13, an anticipated forum organized by the National Transformation Program of Saudi Vision 2030 took place hosting a variety of distinguished speakers and Kingdom officials, broken into two interactive sessions. Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Majid Al-Huqail, the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Mansour Al-Mushayti, the Minister of Investment, Eng. Khaled Al-Falih tackled the first session of the event, the second portion of the event consisting of topics raised by Minister of Justice Walid Al-Samaani, and the Chairman of the National Transformation Committee Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, along with an awards ceremony to close out the event. Many topics were raised, ideas were brought to the surface, and speeches were given, but the overarching focus of the event was to highlight the most outstanding achievements alongside the enormous efforts Saudi Arabia has made since the implementation of the Vision 2030 program launched in 2016.

The National Transformation Program (NTP) has been making efforts across the board in terms of meeting goals and establishing a flow of 2030 Vision Program fulfillment, as, according to the NTP CEO Thamir Al-Sadoun, the NTP carries the weight of about 35% of all the goals featured in the Vision 2030 Program. Many of these goals tick the necessary boxes to enable other areas of the Vision 2030 Program to progress, which is one reason why the program has yielded an unprecedented level of cooperation and synchronicity between sectors whether they are different governmental branches or those divvied up within the private sector. Among the many important labor-intensive issues to be fulfilled are those mingled with infrastructure, which is a topic focused upon at length in the forum on Monday by Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, who underscored the significance of the private, public, and nonprofit sectors along with government agencies working hand-in-hand to join as a collaborative effort toward fostering further progress upon goals achieved and breaking new ground while reaching new goals.

A byproduct of improved or even cutting-edge infrastructure is an elevation of the quality of life for its citizens, a more stable welcome for budding industries, and sure footing for investors, which will then fall into the hands of the Housing Ministry to environmentally support all of the above with improved housing opportunities, and has recently launched an online platform that will assist builders to get materials at more competitive prices, lowering housing prices and increase home sales, allowing a greater percentage of citizens to invest. To date, the KSA has been ranked 17^th place in a list of the top global economic powers, and at the forum, Majed Al-Hogail announced that Saudi Arabia is now poised to slide down to 15^th place. With all of the promise being introduced into the country and the projected growth in key industries, the KSA’s National Tourism Strategy is to receive over 100 million annual visitors which, when all goes well, will increase exponentially as many of that number opts to return compounding with newcomers, will be far more realistic if all of the plans, goals, and Vision 2030 targets have been achieved making Saudi Arabia an ever more attractive destination through a strong diverse economy, an improved and evolving infrastructure, and a higher quality of life.

Prof. Alaa Alghamdi

Saudi Scholar & Writer *

@ayghamd