MEED February 2023 Webinar: Saudi Arabia 2023 Outlook and 2022 Review

26 February 2023

The webinar focuses on discussing the economic outlook, investment opportunities, and business strategies in Saudi Arabia for the year 2023.

As a MEED subscriber, you will be invited to exclusive monthly webinars on the trending topics in the region’s top sectors.

Saudi Arabia 2023 Outlook and 2022 Review brings together industry experts, government officials, and business leaders to share their insights and perspectives on the current state and future of the Saudi Arabian economy.

The discussion covers a range of topics, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, the government’s plans for economic diversification, and investment opportunities in various sectors such as healthcare, infrastructure, and renewable energy.

The webinar provides an interactive platform for participants to engage with the speakers, ask questions, and exchange ideas. It also offers networking opportunities for participants to connect with other business professionals and potential partners in Saudi Arabia.

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  • Contractor appointed for Abu Dhabi Riviera residences

    1 July 2026

     

    Dubai-based real estate developer Mered has appointed Turkiye’s Sera Group as the main contractor for its Riviera Residences project on Al-Reem Island in Abu Dhabi.

    The development will comprise more than 400 one- to three-bedroom apartments and 11 villas.

    Lebanese engineering firm Dar Al-Handasah is the project consultant, while Switzerland’s Herzog & de Meuron is the architect.

    The enabling works are being carried out by local contractor NSCC International.

    Mered and Sera Group are also working together on the Iconic Tower project in Dubai Internet City, where the developer awarded the main contract in December 2024.

    The 67-storey tower is being built on a site covering about 6,368 square metres.

    Local firm Mirage is the project consultant, while Singapore-based Hirsch Bedner Associates is the project architect.

    Dubai-based Chawla Architectural & Consulting Engineers is the architect of record, and Omnium International is the quantity surveyor.

    The foundation works were carried out by local firm Dutch Foundations.

    Mered’s latest contract awards in the UAE market come amid heightened real estate and construction activity, with schemes worth more than $323bn at the execution or planning stages, according to UK-based analytics firm GlobalData.

    GlobalData forecasts that output from the UAE’s residential construction sector will grow by 3% in real terms in 2026-29, supported by infrastructure, energy and utilities developments, as well as residential construction projects.


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    Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

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  • Qiddiya awards estimated $1bn racecourse deal

    1 July 2026

     

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    Saudi gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) has awarded an estimated SR4.3bn ($1.1bn) contract for the construction of a racecourse at Qiddiya entertainment city, on the outskirts of Riyadh.

    The contract was awarded to Taj Dhabi, a local subsidiary of UAE-based Trojan Construction.

    The racecourse venue will cover 1.3 million square metres and accommodate 70,000 spectators.

    QIC issued the tender for the construction works in December last year, but formally announced the project only on 10 February. Contractors submitted their bids on 15 February, MEED previously reported.

    According to a statement published on QIC’s website: “The venue will include the region’s first straight-mile turf course, alongside a 2.2 kilometre (km) main turf track and a 2.4km inner dirt track.

    “A 21,000-seat grandstand will anchor the venue, with the ability to expand capacity to up to 70,000 guests through event overlays during major race days,” the statement added.

    A centrepiece of the venue will be a 110-metre central parade ring, located in the middle of the racecourse.

    The project also includes an equine hospital that will provide advanced veterinary services, including diagnostics, surgery, rehabilitation and emergency care for horses.

    The Qiddiya City horse racing venue is one of several major projects within the greater Qiddiya development. Other projects include an e-games arena, the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a motorsports track, a performing arts centre, the Dragon Ball and Six Flags theme parks, and Aquarabia.

    The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth in recent years.

    GCC presses ahead with tourism projects


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  • NCP seeks firms for Saudi Arabia university hospital PPP

    1 July 2026

    Saudi Arabia’s Umm Al-Qura University, in collaboration with the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP (NCP), has launched an expression of interest for the completion of the construction and operation of the Umm Al-Qura University Hospital in Mecca.

    Issued to contractors on 30 June, the notice has a submission deadline of 21 July.

    The scope includes completing the remaining construction works, as well as the subsequent operation of the hospital.

    Upon completion, the hospital will have a capacity of 391 beds.

    The project will be delivered as a public-private partnership (PPP) under a design, build, finance, operate and maintain model.

    The contract duration is 30 years.

    The project is the latest healthcare project to be procured on a PPP basis in the kingdom. In June, MEED reported that Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health and NCP had awarded a PPP contract for the operation and management of the Sabic Specialised Behavioural Healthcare Hospital in Riyadh.

    That contract was awarded to SEH Healthcare, a consortium comprising local firms Specialised Medical Company (SMC Healthcare) and Health Gates Complex, and Germany’s Dr Ebel Fachkliniken.

    In a filing with the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul), SMC Healthcare said the total estimated project value is about SR3.8bn ($1bn).

    In January, Saudi Arabia launched a national privatisation strategy aimed at mobilising $64bn in private sector capital by 2030.

    Building on the privatisation programme first introduced in 2018, the strategy focuses on unlocking state-owned assets for private investment and privatising selected government services.

    In a statement, NCP said the strategy comprises 147 opportunities drawn from a broader pipeline of more than 500 projects across 18 sectors.

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  • On-site work starts for $5.4bn gas project in Algeria

    1 July 2026

    On-site work has started for the $5.4bn gas project in Algeria’s Illizi South block, days after a key meeting between Algeria’s Oil and Gas Minister Mohamed Arkab and the chief executive of the Saudi company Midad Energy, Sheikh Abdulelah Bin Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Aiban.

    The total investment of about $5.4bn will be fully financed by Midad Energy, including approximately $288m allocated to the exploration phase.

    It is being developed in partnership with Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach.

    Structured under Algeria’s Hydrocarbon Law No. 19-13, the agreement spans 30 years, with a 10-year extension option. It includes a seven-year exploration phase.

    The initial exploration phase is worth $288m and will involve 2D and 3D seismic exploration as well as drilling more than 13 appraisal wells, according to a report by the local news service Algerie360.

    The second phase, with an investment value of approximately $5.1bn, will involve drilling approximately 60 wells and constructing four natural gas compression units.

    The project is projected to produce a cumulative total of 125 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 204 million barrels of liquid hydrocarbons over 30 years.

    This will include 103 million barrels of liquefied petroleum gas and 101 million barrels of condensate.

    Midad Energy has also stated its intention to further expand its investment in Algeria’s oil and gas industry and explore new joint investment opportunities with Sonatrach.

    Algeria’s president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, signed a presidential decree ratifying the development agreement in March.

    Presidential Decree No. 26-113 was issued on 8 March 2026 and underpinned by Articles 91-7 and 141.

    It approved a contract signed in Algiers on 13 October 2025 between Sonatrach and Midad Energy.

    The contract granted both companies the rights to explore and exploit hydrocarbons in the Illizi South area. Algeria’s National Agency for the Valorisation of Hydrocarbon Resources (Alnaft) announced the contract award on 11 October 2025.

    The block is located about 100 kilometres south of In Amenas, which was raided by Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in 2013, leading to a hostage crisis.


    READ THE JULY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

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  • Contractors express interest in Algerian aluminium project

    1 July 2026

     

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    The project to develop an aluminium industrial complex in Algeria’s Hautes Plaines region has made significant progress after expression of interest (EoI) documents were submitted in May, according to industry sources.

    The facility is being developed by Algeria’s state-owned Madar Holding and has an estimated value of around $300m.

    Under the current plan, the facility will be tendered in two packages.

    The scope of package one includes:

    • Construction of a can-making facility
    • Construction of the raw material handling area
    • Installation of trimming machines
    • Installation of conveyors, can handling systems and palletising equipment
    • Installation of utilities infrastructure related to power, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, water treatment and compressed air
    • Construction of support facilities including a maintenance workshop, offices and warehouses

    The scope of package two includes:

    • Installation of a rolling mill
    • Installation of melting and casting furnaces
    • Installation of material handling systems such as coil handling facilities, recoilers and shears
    • Construction of utilities infrastructure related to power, compressed air, lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and water treatment
    • Installation of process cooling systems infrastructure such as water cooling towers, chillers and heat exchangers
    • Construction of support infrastructure such as maintenance workshops, warehouses, offices and storage yards

    The request to submit EoI documents was issued in April this year.

    Algeria is currently seeing an uptick in metal and mining project activity.

    In March, site preparation and construction work started at the 234-acre Oued Amizour zinc and lead mining project in Algeria’s Bejaia province.

    The project is being developed by Bejaia Zinc & Lead, an Algerian-Australian joint venture that was formerly known as Western Mediterranean Zinc.

    In November 2024, the company signed a $336m contract with Sinosteel Equipment & Engineering Company (Sinosteel MECC) to develop the project.

    The contract covers the construction of a 2-million-tonne-a-year process plant, an underground mine, a backfill plant, a dry-stack tailings storage facility and associated infrastructure.

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