Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Eng. Bandar Al-Khorayef said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen on benefiting from the mining sector for its being full of big opportunities that yield huge revenues. Al-Khorayef made the remarks during a panel discussion titled "The role of governments in increasing the contribution of the mining sector", as part of the Future Minerals Forum, where speakers also included Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla, Nigerian Minister of Mines and Steel Development Olamilekan Adegbite, and Kyrgyzstan Minister of Natural Resource Kutmanova Dinara. He said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has big expertise in the field of oil and gas and mining was tied with industry due to the fact that they are interrelated." He noted that Saudi Arabia cooperates with other countries and has several companies working in the mining sector and owns investments in the northern region, and has provided logistical services, such as opening roads and railways in Ras Al-Kheir to connect the eastern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with its north, thus connecting logistical areas. For his part, El-Molla said that Egypt has implemented an ambitious program to develop the mining industry out of its 2030 vision, where the best utilization of natural resources is among the top goals. He noted that the program that was prepared by the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources succeeded in applying comprehensive reforms to develop the Egyptian mining system after studying all local and international challenges. Speakers also stressed the importance of utilizing opportunities in the mining sector and attracting promising investments to their countries, reiterating the significance of providing a legislative system and providing contraction systems that contribute to increasing investment in the mining markets, referring to the importance of digital transformation. — SPA
