Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced the establishment of the Strategic Office for the Development of the Northern Borders Region, which aims to raise the level of development in the cities and governorates of the region, and to enhance the quality of life for its residents and visitors, by investing in the economic, natural and historical elements of the region and its location. The strategic border as one of the northern gates of the Kingdom.
The Strategic Office for the Development of the Northern Borders Region will be responsible for launching qualitative initiatives and projects that contribute to creating an attractive investment environment for capital, which will achieve a great development and economic renaissance and provide job opportunities for male and female citizens, in a way that enhances the goals of sustainable development. In addition, the office will coordinate between government agencies. To support development in the cities and governorates of the northern borders, organize their development mechanisms, and measure the performance of government agencies, by re-employing potentials and natural resources, in a way that enhances the economic and social aspect in them, and to be a nucleus for establishing a development authority in the region.
Developing the northern border area
According to the Saudi Press Agency, “SPA”, the Crown Prince’s announcement of the establishment of the Strategic Office for the Development of the Northern Border Region comes as an extension of the announcement of a number of strategic offices and development agencies in several regions, after development agencies and similar offices in the regions of the Kingdom achieved great success in their tasks under direct supervision. His Highness, which reflects his keenness to include sustainable development in all regions and cities and turn them into major attractions for internal and external investments and global tourism, political, economic, cultural and sports activities, in a way that benefits all citizens, creates a thriving economy and a vibrant society for an ambitious nation, in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2030 .
The strategic office focuses its attention on benefiting from the exceptional capabilities of the region and its cities, as well as investing in the natural, tourism and historical heritage components that it abounds in, in order to raise its contribution to the national economy, and to create a balanced development environment that attracts local and foreign investments, which diversifies the sources of income for citizens, along with The office’s contribution to the expansion of finding job opportunities for the people of the region. The Strategic Office for the Development of the Northern Borders Region will also work to address any difficulties or obstacles that prevent maximizing the utilization of the economic potentials that the governorates abound in in agricultural, tourism, heritage and entertainment projects.
What is the northern border?
The northern border region occupies an area of 133 square kilometers of the Kingdom’s area, and is inhabited by 400,000 people. It contributes 27 billion riyals to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product. Qara Maatan, and Riyadh is also spread in the region, where herbs and pastures grow, and 15,000 km of natural reserves, and there are many archaeological sites that date back to pre-Islamic times, such as the wall foundations of the Doqarah Palace, and the Rafha governorate, which was a station for pilgrims, and archaeological sites In Lina, as well as in Luqa and the historical village of Zabala, in addition to being a strategic border site and one of the northern gates of the Kingdom. It also has a huge stock of phosphate, equivalent to 7% of the global phosphate stock, and natural gas, which is one of the largest reserves in the world, in addition to the phosphate industries in the region and the opportunities they pose for transformational industries.
