Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Al-Ahsa Forum promises inclusive, bright future economy

The sixth annual Al-Ahsa Forum that took place on Wednesday and Thursday held talks on clean energy opportunities in the era of transformation and sustainability, prospects for investment and transformation in health care, investment and economy of the future, tourism, the impact of local content on food security, supply chains and SMEs.
Prince Saud bin Nayef, governor of the Eastern Province, and Prince Saud bin Talal, governor of Al-Ahsa, were in attendance.

Sponsored by Al-Ahsa Chamber and Saudi Aramco, this year’s edition brought in more guests with the live streaming option, allowing visitors to tune in from around the world.

Prince Saud bin Nayef reiterated how Al-Ahsa — and its locals — have made great strides through various successful projects and initiatives.

It has undoubtably established itself as a land of palm trees and of infinite opportunities and ample generosity, he said.

Several ministers, officials, experts, advisers, heads of companies, as well as local and international executives joined the forum’s latest session, that comes as part of the efforts to promote Saudi inclusive development, in line with Vision 2030.

The former president of Saudi Aramco, Khalid Al-Falih, who is now the minister of investment and was formerly the minister of energy, also spoke at the forum.

The events were live streamed on large screens at a separate space within the premises at the exhibition space, where different companies, including Saudi Aramco, had booths where people could stop, ask questions and interact.

The forum led by example. In addition to being wheelchair-accessible, it offered non-Arabic speakers audio devices to provide them with instant translation from Arabic to English.

There was also a dynamic sign language interpreter who signed all speeches in real time, as shown in a small box on the main screen.

Aramco’s CEO and president, Amin Al-Nasser, announced a new center that will cater to those with disabilities. The center is expected to cover an area of about 60,000 square meters and will reside in the heart of Saudi Aramco’s Mubarraz complex.

Phase one should be expected to be complete by 2025 and the second phase soon after. Each phase aims to accommodate 330 male and female students and should provide life-changing support for more than 660 beneficiaries.

Al-Nasser said: “Saudi Aramco seeks to focus on the capabilities of our sons and daughters with special needs and to rehabilitate, train and provide them with skills that enable them to enter the labor market and live a decent life.”

He added: “The observer of the recent transformations that Al-Ahsa is witnessing realizes that it is a land of promising investment opportunities, with an abundant share of conventional and unconventional oil and gas, an agricultural sector rich in its wealth, and a rich heritage and tourism sector that bodes well, in addition to its strategic location and the presence of Al-Uqair port, which made Al-Ahsa a center important for trade exchange.”

Al-Nasser stressed the special relationship that binds Saudi Aramco to Al-Ahsa since its inception, as it is one of the most important and largest business areas of the company.

“Al-Ahsa embraces huge reservoirs of unconventional gas, and successive and promising discoveries of shale gas, and we are currently working on developing the Al-Jafurah field, which is likely to start production in 2025. It is also expected that the total capital and operational investments of the Al-
Jafurah project will reach more than $100 billion over the next 20 years,” he said.

Al-Nasser emphasized Saudi Aramco’s commitment to the empowerment and advancement of women, one of the Vision 2030 goals.

He reminded attendees that three years ago, his company established the Aramco Driving School for Women in Al-Ahsa, at which more than 29,000 women have been trained to drive thus far, allowing an army of women to become more independent.

Both Saudi Aramco, and the Kingdom at large, are aiming to diversify the local economy and to ensure the steady and sustainable growth of Al-Ahsa — and the whole country — remains at the forefront.

Day one of the forum provided guests with insights from distinguished speakers and several panel discussions.

Day two of the forum covered the future of Al-Ahsa in light of Vision 2030 and touch upon tourism and the impact of local content strategy on food security and strengthening the supply chains.

During his talk, Al-Nasser also mentioned how Aramco is diligently working to establish a dedicated center for the production of dates, famous in Al-Ahsa — and a stone’s throw from the soon-to-end seasonal Dates Marketing Festival — serving more than 200 beneficiaries and their families locally.

This is in addition to training and developing local farmers which helps establish local pride, promote sustainability and establish Al-Ahsa as a worthy destination for tourists and locals alike.

Saudi Aramco, the main sponsor for the event, is the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals company which has seamlessly transitioned into diversifying its revenue streams in the last decades.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
×