28 new industrial cities to open in KSA by end-2014

The silver jubilee edition of International Trade Exhibition will open on Sunday at Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.
The event, supported by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), will take place over four days.
More than 150 local and international companies representing 7 countries, namely Egypt, Hong King, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, aside from Saudi Arabia, are taking part in the show.
Adnan Mandoura, secretary general of the JCCI, said the aim of the event is to enhance the role of small and medium enterprises (SME), which is one of the most important components of the economy not only in Saudi Arabia but elsewhere in the world as well.
The event will also help in demonstrating the growth of the sector and promote Saudi industries to businessmen from all over the world. In the past few years, he said, the SME sector has witnessed a remarkable 14 percent growth per year.
The work of the JCCI, through its various committees, centers, and economic activities, is to promote the opportunities available in the Kingdom for investment, Mandoura said, adding that the forum, which will continue until next Wednesday, is a golden opportunity for local and national companies to compete and attract investors and businessmen from other international companies.
Mandoura expressed his pleasure in sponsoring the exhibition, which has earned a prominent place over the previous 24 editions on the agenda of businesses in the Kingdom and worldwide.
The chamber has always supported efforts that add value and contribute to the development of the industrial sector in the Kingdom, he added.
The Kingdom aims to play a prominent role in the region’s industrial map in the coming years as evidenced by plans to open 28 new industrial cities across the country by the end of 2014.
Said Walid Said, deputy chairman of the organizing committee of the exhibition, that the event is celebrating its silver jubilee this year, which is being organized in cooperation with the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Islamic Center for Development and Trade.
The event seeks to invite the participation of Muslim countries with support from the Islamic Development Bank, and will include a section called ‘Made in Saudi Arabia’ in cooperation with the JCCI to highlight the latest local industries.