Opportunities for foreign entrepreneurs are ‘extraordinary’ in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: New licenses were issued on Wednesday to encourage the world’s entrepreneurs and inventors to start up in the Kingdom and boost growth of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.
Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majid Al-Qassabi issued 11 new licenses on the sidelines of the Second Misk Global Forum, which was inaugurated on Wednesday.
Senior officials from the Monsha’at, Saudi Arabia’s SME Authority, the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the Economic Cities Authority were present during the launch of the new program.
Before handing over the licenses to 11 entrepreneurs, Al-Qassabi said the effort was to promote the SME sector as well as to diversify the economy of the country in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Knowledge industries represent a particularly high-growth sector: Saudi Arabia’s young and educated population has one of the world’s highest digital adoption rates, and the knowledge sector is characterized by small and medium, innovative companies.
“Saudi Arabia offers extraordinary opportunities for foreign innovators and investors. This is an incredibly dynamic market with a young, entrepreneurially inclined population and significant latent demand in high-growth industries. We know we have the talent — our job now is to match-make and help provide the opportunities,” said Dr. Ghassan Al-Sulaiman, governor of Monsha’at, stressing that foreign entrepreneurs would bring with them innovation and expertise and help local youths to get to know their operations.
“The new licensing initiative is designed to help build up the private sector and move away from an over-reliance on oil revenues,” said Al-Sulaiman. This initiative, he said, was inspired by the Vision 2030, which will help Saudi Arabia to attract the best minds in the world, transferring knowledge, expanding the economy, increasing the contribution of small and medium-sized companies to GDP and creating jobs for Saudis.”
Fahad Al-Rashid, CEO of KAEC, said the new regulations enabled entrepreneurs to establish a business in the city. The Kingdom has given several incentives such as free housing, transportation and education for children to attract foreign investors.