Women-only industrial city to operate soon in Yanbu

The Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) has launched a project to develop an industrial city for women workers in Yanbu, on a total area of 500,000 square meters.
The authority signed an agreement to establish a factory that will initially employ 50 Saudi women.
Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman recently laid the foundation stone for the project.
“The project will be the first of its kind representing an industrial oasis in Yanbu, and will include a plant employing only females,” said Saleh Al-Rasheed, the director general of Modon, at the event.
Al-Rasheed thanked Prince Faisal for his support and “personal supervision” of the project. “The approval of the project took a week, which is a record.”
Al-Rasheed said Modon would set up more plants for women. “This will enhance the role of industry in supporting women,” he said.
Al-Rasheed said the plant would have integrated services including public transport, nurseries, and technical institutes for training.
It would also have a medical center, a sports center, a recreational area, green landscaping, a government services building, commercial center, hotel and gas station.
The activities proposed include producing garments, gold and jewelry, dates, medical supplies, packaging services, toys and traditional handicrafts. He said the plant was part of the government’s strategy to diversify sources of income from industrial developments.
He said about 2,000 plants are under construction currently at the various industrial cities in the Kingdom.
He said the country currently has 32 industrial cities, with manufacturing output rising from SR91 billion in 2007 to SR149 billion in 2013.