15/05/2026 02:53 AST
Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu aims to attract investments worth SR2 trillion ($533 billion) over the next five years, a target that was originally set for 2045, at a time when current investments have already exceeded SR1.5 trillion, according to RCJY President Khalid Al-Salem.
In an interview with Asharq, Al-Salem added that the RCJY currently has an investment portfolio under negotiation with investors across various sectors worth about SR500 billion, noting that it is recording investment growth that exceeds its previously set targets.
He further said that investment growth reached 4 percent in 2025 compared to a target of 3 percent, and that the commission expects this growth to continue into 2026.
"What the Saudi government is doing during the current period to support market stability, whether in oil or other products such as fertilizers and petrochemicals, will have a significant impact in attracting quality investments to the Red Sea coast, especially Yanbu and Jazan," he said.
The commission manages four industrial cities in the Kingdom covering a total area of 2,175 sq. kilometers, and home to about 380,000 residents. These include Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries, Jubail Industrial City, and Ras Al-Khair Industries City, as well as Yanbu Industrial City.
Shift toward new sectors
The RCJY is currently focusing on new sectors that were not previously among its priorities, including logistics and downstream manufacturing based on existing core industries within its cities.
This comes as Saudi Arabia aims to rank among the top 10 countries in the global logistics performance index.
According to the Vision 2030 annual report, the number of operational logistics hubs in the Kingdom rose to 24, while customs clearance time dropped from nine hours to less than two hours. The country also ranked second among G20 countries in cargo volume growth in 2025, with annual growth of 32 percent.
Al-Salem also highlighted the mining sector, stressing that it is one of the key target industries amid ongoing transformation in Saudi Arabia's mining landscape, adding that the commission is working to attract major mining investments to its industrial cities.
Mining has been receiving increasing attention in the Kingdom since the launch of Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy away from oil and position mining as the third pillar of national industry alongside oil and petrochemicals, supported by strategic initiatives to develop the sector.
Saudi Arabia has raised its estimate of untapped mineral resources from $1.3 trillion to $2.5 trillion, opportunities that could attract investments to raise the sector's contribution to gross domestic product to 15 percent by the end of the decade, according to Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef in a previous interview with Asharq.
Attracting investment
Advanced infrastructure, combined with joint investments with the Ministry of Energy in clean energy projects, represents one of the key drivers attracting investment, Al-Salem said.
The president added: "The large investments we are working on with the Ministry of Energy in clean energy are very important for future investments," noting that the commission also offers financial incentives and operating costs he described as "the lowest in the region" to attract investment.
Al-Salem also spoke about digital transformation plans within the commission's cities, explaining that it is working to transform them into smart cities, while also supporting factories and companies in adopting Fourth Industrial Revolution applications.
Arab News
Please wait...
