His Excellency the President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Engineer Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Salem, emphasized that the total value of investments in the Commission’s cities exceeds SAR 1.4 billion, distributed between major companies and SMEs in the Commission.

Engineer Al-Salem explained that this growth reflects the Commission’s vital role in supporting the national economy and diversifying its sources. He noted that SMEs are a key pillar of the Commission’s strategy to strengthen competitiveness and create new opportunities, and emphasized that these efforts contribute to empowering entrepreneurs and achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

This came during his participation in a panel discussion at the SMEs Support Council, held as part of Industry and Mining Entrepreneurs Week, organized by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority “Monsha’at”. His Excellency reviewed the role of entrepreneurship at the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, the position of SMEs in the Commission, the programs and initiatives the Commission has launched to support the SME sector, and several experiences and success stories, as well as the future of SMEs in the Commission’s cities.

During the session, His Excellency Engineer Al-Salem addressed the Commission’s key efforts and initiatives in supporting entrepreneurship and SMEs, and the quality achievements made in this vital sector. He emphasized that investments in the Royal Commission’s cities reached SAR 1.457 billion, distributed across 778 small and medium industrial enterprises, 70% of which specialize in support services, with more than 2,235 commercial activities within the Commission’s cities. He noted that the Commission seeks to strengthen industrial and commercial integration and create new investment opportunities that support the local economy and provide more jobs.

Al-Salem explained that the Commission is a key tributary of entrepreneurship in the Kingdom’s industrial sector, with a population of more than 455,000 in the Commission’s cities and nearly 60,000 students in general education, while the number of students enrolled in 2024 reached around 19,000, strengthening the sustainability of national talent and supporting the competitiveness ecosystem.

The session also touched on the strategies the Commission has launched to support the SME sector, including offering special tenders to facilitate the entry of young contractors, allocating a variety of industrial and commercial sites, and launching the Khutwat platform to make it easier to connect entrepreneurs with government systems and e-services, enabling them to start their projects efficiently and flexibly.

During the session, Al-Salem also reviewed the key partnerships the Commission has concluded with government and private entities to support the investment ecosystem. He noted that the Commission acts as a main sponsor in creating new investment opportunities and empowering entrepreneurs in various fields, as well as encouraging them to take part in strengthening competition and driving economic development.

He pointed out that supporting SMEs is one of the most important drivers of economic growth in the Royal Commission’s cities. He explained that the package of incentives and services offered by the Commission aims to empower these enterprises and provide a stimulating business environment, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030 to diversify the economic base and increase the private sector’s contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP.

The President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu concluded by emphasizing that the future of SMEs in the Royal Commission’s cities is promising, given the continuing plans to develop and expand infrastructure and to establish specialized industrial clusters that enable investors to pursue specialized activity that strengthens benefit and integration. He added that the growing demand the Commission’s cities are seeing with the growth of the tourism sector is a contributing factor in raising purchasing power in the Kingdom.