Saudi Arabia celebrates after being named as host for FIFA World Cup 2034
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is celebrating its win as the FIFA World Cup 2034 host by conducting events and festivities nationwide. Citizens and residents are encouraged to show their pride and excitement by wearing football jerseys and sharing picture perfect moments online by using the hashtag #Saudi2034.
The announcement was celebrated by firework displays across various locations like Riyadh, Jeddah, Alkhobar, NEOM, Abha, Al-Qassim and Jubail. These spectacular shows marked the unity and excitement of achieving this milestone. Special drone displays and an air show are scheduled on December 12 to further fascinate audiences.
Riyadh’s municipality distributed scarves to fans and organized traditional dances in urban parks. Green lights were illuminated across the buildings and public spaces throughout the nation and decorated with Saudi flags. The announcement ceremony was broadcasted by several Institutions such as King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Events are scheduled to take place till December 14 at different locations like Boulevard City, Laysen Valley, and Roshn Front in Riyadh, and the Corniche Circuit, Roshn Waterfront, and King Abdulaziz Cultural Center in Jeddah. Other cities such as Alkhobar, Al-Baha, Buraydah, Abha, and Hail will also conduct celebratory events. Some of the events will be held at Half Moon Beach, Al-Bahar Square, Art Street, and more.
These events will provide football fans with the opportunity to come together to show their pride and excitement for hosting the World Cup.
UK-Saudi ties to deepen, with Trade Exchange reaching $ 37.5 bn by 2030
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and UK have reaffirmed their commitment to improve the economic and strategic ties, with a goal of boosting bilateral trade to $ 37.5 billion by 2030. The announcement came after the visit of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Saudi Arabia, where both the nations emphasized the Saudi-UK Partnership Council’s role in improving cooperation.
Both nations analyzed the progress in diversifying their relationship and aligning priorities through Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UK’s Industrial Strategy. Clean technology, energy innovation, sustainability, and financial services such as green finance, fintech, and asset management were some of the key areas of collaboration between the two nations. The nations also committed to setting up a Clean Hydrogen consortium between the UK and Saudi universities and agree on the GCC-UK Free Trade Agreement.
The nations agreed on strengthening their defense and security by deepening cooperation to fight terrorism, strengthen cybersecurity and build a futuristic defense partnership. They emphasized the significance of maintaining regional stability, adherence to international norms and solving conflicts such as the situation in Gaza, Syria, and Yemen. Both the nations support humanitarian aid efforts, Two-State Solution for Israel-Palestine and a political resolution in Lebanon.
Saudi initiatives such as the Saudi Green Initiative and Circular Carbon Economy approach were welcomed by the UK, highlighting environmental sustainability and climate leadership. Global challenges like desertification, sustainable growth, and energy transition are pivotal for the nations.
Overall, both the nations are looking forward to building long-term strategic partnerships, bringing in mutual prosperity and overcoming shared global challenges to improve their bilateral relationships for the mutual benefit of their citizens and economies.
Saudi Ports report 4.29% growth in Cargo handling in November
RIYADH: Saudi Ports witness a 4.29% increase on a yearly basis in cargo volume in November 2024 reaching 24.73 million tonnes compared to 23.74 million tonnes in November 2023, reports Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani). This shows Saudi Arabia’s rising status as a global logistics hub, with the country ranking 15th globally in terms of container handling in 2024 according to Lloyd’s List.
Exported containers rose by 23% reaching 261,030, whereas Imported containers grew by 15.62% to 259,355. However, overall container throughput declined by 9.14%, accounting to 670,185 containers and transshipment volumes fell by 49.43% reaching 138,660 containers.
Varied trends were found for the Cargo categories. General cargo accounted for 1.13 million tonnes, solid bulk cargo totaled 3.59 million tonnes and liquid bulk cargo amounted to 13.05 million tonnes. Meanwhile, livestock imports decreased to 4.98%, recording 716,541 heads of cattle.
A drop of 6.96% was seen in navigational traffic to 949 vessels calling at Saudi ports as compared to 1,020 in November 2023. Passenger numbers declined by 15.78%, reaching 66,422 arrivals. Meanwhile, car imports increased by 11.82% with 99,760 vehicles arriving compared to 89,269 last year.
These figures show the mixed performance of Saudi ports, which reflect growth in key sectors like exports and car imports while other sectors like transshipment and vessel traffic experience decline.
Saudi PIF awarded 2024 Middle East PMO of the Year
RIYADH: The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has been named the 2024 Middle East Project Management Office (PMO) of the Year, highlighting its key role in driving progress in the kingdom’s Vision 2030 transformation. The Award was presented by the PMO Global Alliance (PMOGA), ranking PIF second globally and awarding it three Excellence Distinctions.
The cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification efforts since Vision 2030’s lunch in 2016, PIF manages $925 billion in assets and leads crucial projects to place the kingdom as a global tourism hub by 2030. The PMO, a crucial enabler of these goals, has gone up from a small team of 5 in 2016 to 77 full-time employees, managing a $ 7 million budget annually. Presently, overseeing 66 active projects worth $ 17 billion, its project success rate has risen by 94% from 2016 to 2023, an increase in number of projects by 76%.
Initially, the PMO was managing strategic and giga-projects as well as portfolio companies across different sectors. Saad Al-Kroud, PIF’s chief of staff and Areej Naqshbandi, senior director and PMO head emphasized its importance in achieving Vision 2030 targets.
SPC Brazil was awarded 2024 World PMO of the Year globally. Libya’s Waha Oil Co. for Africa, Indonesia’s Persero for Asia-Pacific, ING Spain and Portugal for Europe, and the US-based Moffitt Cancer Center for North America were the other regional winners of the award.
Established in 2017, PMOGA is a global community of PMOs and project management professionals and members across 100 countries, committed to recognize expertise in project management worldwide.
