The 966 Episode 75! The hosts discuss the recently-concluded LEAP conference and exhibition in Riyadh and how Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming a leader in the space in the region. They also discuss how Riyadh is, in general, becoming a more attractive destination for global events, a concept once difficult to imagine before the Kingdom opened up its borders to tourists. The hosts conclude as always with Yallah! A rundown of 6 top storylines this week in Saudi Arabia to get you up to date heading into the weekend.
Listen now:
10:30 – Lucien’s one big thing is LEAP, the four-day long event in the Kingdom that welcomed thousands of visitors and over 700 speakers to talk tech, VC, and next-generation industries. The event also saw 900 exhibitors. The event kicked off with some headline-grabbing major announcements of large investment figures by Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia Abdullah Alswaha, in a keynote. The minister announced investments worth $9 billion to support future technologies, digital entrepreneurship, and tech startups, all with the overall goal of advancing the Kingdom’s position as the largest digital economy in the Middle East and North Africa region.
19:14 – Yallah! 6 top storylines to get you up to date on Saudi Arabia heading into the weekend.
Hajj 2023: Saudi Arabia extends Nusuk programme to more countries
The 11th edition of The Big 5 Saudi, organized by dmg events, will take place at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center from 18-21 February 2023. This largest construction event in Saudi Arabia will bring together 28,000+ attendees and over 750 local and international exhibitors from 40 countries, showcasing the latest in construction innovations and technologies. Twelve country pavilions will shine the spotlight on construction solutions from Italy, Germany, Greece, Poland, Spain, Egypt, China, Kuwait, Turkiye, Qatar, Austria and India.
Saudi Arabia has offered to pay for new football stadiums in Greece and Egypt in return for their alliance in jointly bidding to host the 2030 World Cup. The joint bid between the three friendly countries is in competition with a joint European bid by Spain, Portugal and Ukraine, and a joint South American bid by Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile. The window for bids opened in June last year, and the decision on the tournament will be voted on by the 200-member FIFA congress in 2024.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Saudi Arabia rose 10.7% in the third quarter of 2022 over the same period a year earlier, figures from the investment ministry showed. FDI inflows totalled 7.2 billion riyals ($1.9 billion) in the third quarter of 2022, according to the investment ministry’s latest monthly bulletin published on Monday, versus 6.5 billion riyals in the third quarter of 2021.
Salem Al Dawsari scored two penalties as Al Hilal beat Flamengo 3-2 to become the first Saudi Arabian club to reach the Fifa Club World Cup final. Al-Hilal football club will go head-to-head against 5-time Fifa Club World Cup winner Real Madrid in the final this Saturday after the Spanish team’s 4-1 win over Egypt’s al-Ahly.
