Businessmen and Chairman of the Commercial Committee in Al-Ahsa Chamber, Engineer Naim Jawad Al-Mutawa, said that Al-Ahsa possesses several combined factors that qualify it to play a greater investment and development role in the coming days, the most important of which is the availability of different types of raw materials (including agricultural products, petrochemicals, and natural gas), in addition to the availability of Vast lands are relatively low cost. Al-Naim said in an interview with Al-Youm: The presence of an international airport in Al-Ahsa enhances commercial traffic in the region and facilitates the travel and reception of company delegations from different regions of the world, expressing his optimism that other airlines will operate flights from Al-Ahsa Airport. Al-Mutawa added that poor studies lead to weak investment, stressing the need for accurate economic sources, information and research in order to encourage investment and identify opportunities..and to the details: the nucleus of the economic sectors The Commercial Committee in the Chamber is working to expand the circle of commercial activity and adopt all means that contribute to supporting the commercial movement in the governorate. What is your plan to activate this? Commercial committees are the nucleus of the economic sectors, and they are the main engine of the chambers of commerce, since all economic sectors are commercial in origin, and the committee must represent a real representation to protect the interests of merchants and overcome the obstacles that stand in front of it, and we hope that we will have cooperation with some other economic sectors in the chamber to form partnerships Cooperation to achieve the desired goals of the Chamber, and we aim in the Commercial Committee to conduct a study to monitor the most important opportunities and challenges facing this sector in the future, by holding specialized trade forums that are concerned with strengthening work in the commercial sector, and developing the field of retail and distribution in the region and small and medium enterprises. Cooperate with committees How will you support other commercial files, especially related to different sectors such as technology, marketing, and export? – We hope to cooperate with most of the sectoral committees in the Chamber to discuss these files, each in his specialization, and with regard to rules and regulations, this is one of the tasks of the Chamber’s secretariat to inform the merchants of all that is new in this regard. Al-Ahsa Investment Forum is a general development initiative, made by all the people of Al-Ahsa in order to attract large investments and the job opportunities they generate, in addition to developing the demand for services and goods of all kinds. The forum is looking forward to achieving this by highlighting the advantages of investing in Al-Ahsa, which means in the end a lower cost of the product, which enhances its competitive position due to the availability of production elements and the intensity of comparative advantages and their strategic integration for youth .We in the Commercial Committee of Al-Ahsa Chamber are looking forward to preparing a strategy to empower young men and women from the labor market and train them on the concept of entrepreneurship, in cooperation with the Business Youth Committee. Studying failure It is well known that the small and medium enterprises sector faces great challenges. How do you in the Commercial Committee see this sector? What support can the committee provide? There is no doubt that the percentage of medium and small enterprises in any country represents 80-90% of the total number of enterprises, and in Al-Ahsa the percentage of these enterprises reaches approximately 85%, and therefore our plan in that is that we will cooperate with the section of medium and small enterprises in the Chamber To study the reason for the failure of these institutions and work to enhance the factors of their success and then submit our recommendations to the concerned authorities. Investing in human resources “Al-Ahsa and its human wealth”… a phrase that you and the economists in the governorate repeat, how do you prove that?– Human resources are one of the most important basic measures by which the wealth of nations is measured, as it is considered the most important capital component and effective asset in the economic situation of countries, and the human resource and its level of effectiveness has become the main pillar for achieving progress.Investing in the human resource is considered a national investment and the best types of capital in terms of value and return, as it is through man that countries progress and rise, and the economy is of great importance and must be exploited for the sake of progress through human forces that transform wealth from mere qualitative quantities to various technological energies that achieve the desired progress. In addition, God endowed this country with the blessing of precious natural resources that contributed to achieving great leaps that helped it achieve development plans and the welfare of the citizen. rentier energies into effective energies in building the economy and society, benefiting from their great capabilities, instilling a love of work and production in them, encouraging their innovations, and transforming their distinguished ideas into action plans and production programs that achieve the miracle and make the impossible possible.million people. The quality of the human element remains the most important comparative advantage and constitutes the distinguishing mark of Al-Ahsa due to its effectiveness and efficiency in all aspects of life.You see the needs through your previous chairmanship of the Youth Business Committee. What do you want to achieve in the coming years, and would you like to achieve it in the coming years? How do you see your participation in the most competitive youth award organized by the General Investment Authority? How do you see its impact on youth creativity?The Young Businessmen Committee is one of the most important projects that I am proud to establish, as this committee is considered an important imprint in the performance of the Al-Ahsa Chamber in the eighth session and in my life as well. It has achieved many achievements and successes and has emerged among youth committees at the level of the Kingdom. As for the participation of young people in the competitive award organized by the General Investment Authority, some of the region’s youth participated in that competition, and I am one of them. The current Youth Business Committee is to seek the needs of young men and women in the region and work to meet them in order to advance them, and also work to embody their dreams into real projects. investment map The future commercial investment map in Al-Ahsa, what are its most prominent outlines? The investment map in Al-Ahsa is wide and very promising in the future, and the recent Al-Ahsa Investment Forum showed it through axes, the most prominent of which is energy, due to the large projects of Saudi Aramco in it, in addition to industrial projects, due to the presence of the large industrial city in Salwa, which has an area of 300 million square meters. Square, tourism due to the huge Uqair tourism project, the real estate sector due to the large demand for housing and directives to support the Ministry of Housing in this regard, and the human resources, retail and distribution sectors due to the population density, especially the youth segment. Electronic commerce There are many information security issues in electronic commerce. From your point of view, how does that file handle?– E-commerce is promising in the world, its status is very random because we do not have an official umbrella to regulate it. The solution lies in the establishment of an official body to organize the work and rehabilitate the institutions, and not to prevent and prohibit as is the case with the Ministry of Commerce. Poor studies Do you think that poor studies exacerbate the problems of commercial investment in our country? – There is no doubt that weak studies lead to weak investment, so we need sources, information and accurate economic research in order to encourage investment and identify opportunities, and this role falls on the shoulders of the Ministries of Economy, Trade and Industry and the General Authority for Investment, but unfortunately what we see today is the large number of sources of information and most of them inaccurate. A development initiative A few weeks ago, the Al-Ahsa Investment Forum concluded, and we are waiting for it after two years in its fourth edition. How did you see the forum?Al-Ahsa Investment Forum is a general development initiative, made by all the people of Al-Ahsa in order to attract large investments and the job opportunities they generate, in addition to developing the demand for services and goods of all kinds. The forum is looking forward to achieving this by highlighting the advantages of investing in Al-Ahsa, which means in the end a lower cost of the product, which enhances its competitive position due to the availability of production elements and the intensity and integration of comparative advantages. Accordingly, the main axis of the forum is to seek to employ these comparative advantages in a productive manner that will be directly reflected on the residents and investors in Al-Ahsa, and on our national economy more broadly.Coordination between the parties Recommendations of the third Al-Ahsa Investment Forum came out with several recommendations, what is related to your committee, how are you working on translating them, and what does your committee propose to the fourth forum? – The fourth recommendation of the forum was (cooperation with the General Authority for Investment to limit investment opportunities in all different sectors in cooperation with all agencies that offer these opportunities in order to develop the infrastructure of the region to encourage investors). Therefore, I suggest that the Commercial Committee play a role in coordinating between the General Authority for Investment And the entities that provide these opportunities, due to our knowledge of the region in terms of resources and merchants. Providing job opportunities for the commercial scene after the correction process carried out by the state, what is its future positive impact on this sector?– I think that the Kingdom has very large investment opportunities, especially with the coincidence of the Ministry of Labor’s campaign to correct workers, which may contribute to the existence of many opportunities as a result of the departure of loose labour, but the continuity and development of these businesses remains the most important challenges facing young people, especially with the entry of foreign companies today into the Saudi market, so The Saudi youth must keep pace with global change and competition. There is also a negative side to it, which is the increase in economic inflation and the delay in projects of the state and the private sector alike. Retail trade flourishes After the completion of the second Al-Ahsa Investment Forum, the retail trade sector has flourished. Need to compare this sector before and after the forum? – We have recently seen a large presence of retail institutions and companies in Al-Ahsa, such as shopping malls and malls, especially companies with famous brands, which is clear evidence of Al-Ahsa’s attractiveness to such projects, in addition to doubling the number of the Chamber’s members.International Operation Airlines operate flights from Al-Ahsa Airport. One of them operated to Sharjah, and within a few weeks others operate.. Has this affected the commercial movement in Al-Ahsa? – There is no doubt that the presence of an international airport in Al-Ahsa enhances the commercial movement in the region and facilitates the travel and reception of company delegations from different regions of the world. In order to gain time, businessmen are always keen to invest their time. We hope to see soon the rest of the international companies joining Al-Ahsa Airport. The investment role What are the most important development and investment factors in Al-Ahsa and assistance in infrastructure development?In fact, there are several combined factors in Al-Ahsa that qualify it to play a greater investment and development role in the coming days, the most important of which is the availability of different types of raw materials (including agricultural products, petrochemicals, and natural gas), the availability of vast lands with relatively low cost, the development of modern infrastructure, the availability of hands employment and steady population and urban growth. Al-Ahsa is also considered self-sufficient in electricity services, which is one of the most important requirements for commercial, industrial and residential projects. The existence of an excellent transport and communications network that facilitates movement and movement from the cities of the province and the Kingdom to neighboring countries. It also includes a modern railway, as well as the availability of an airport. International is an additional attraction in terms of infrastructure development.The government budget allocations for building new circular roads and developing the old roads is considered one of the positive points in the infrastructure of Al-Ahsa, and the availability of communication, postal and other logistical services in Al-Ahsa, including the trade sector and channels to facilitate trade exchange, is a great positive matter that encourages investment.Dry port Is there still a need for a dry port for the railways in Al-Ahsa, especially since the cargo train is constantly passing through here? – There is no doubt that Al-Ahsa needs a dry port, especially with the availability of the first industrial zone in it with an area of one and a half million square meters, and the second industrial zone in Salwa with an area of 300 million square meters, especially the congestion of freight and its accumulation in King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, the biggest motive for that.
Al-Motawa emphasizes the development of infrastructure and the availability of manpower in Al-Ahasa “Alyum”
