The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) special meeting in Riyadh wrapped up yesterday with top government officials, public figures and industry leaders talking about private sector activity in a fragmented world, non-oil growth in the midst of regional tensions, and cost-efficient energy policies in emerging markets. We have the full rundown on day two of the event headlined “Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development.”

GIGAPROJECTS ARE “MODULAR”-

More reassurances on Neom: Gigaprojects will be delivered at their intended scale in a way that satisfies the market and investors — and ensures optimal economic growth for the Kingdom, Economy and Planning Minister Faisal Alibrahim told Bloomberg (watch, runtime: 7:49) amid reports of a slower buildout of Neom. Nodding to the significant investment the projects would require, he said the government is being cautious not to “overheat” the economy to fund the projects. “We don’t want to deliver these projects at the cost of importing too much against our own interests,” he said.

“All projects are moving full steam ahead,” Alibrahim said. “We set out to do something unprecedented and we’re doing something unprecedented and we will deliver something that is unprecedented,” he said. “For Neom, the intended scale is continuing as planned. There is no change in scale, it’s a long-term project that’s modular in design,” he said.

STRONG SAUDI = STRONG MIDEAST-

Geopolitical tensions are not directly impacting Saudi growth or transformation plans, Alibrahim said. “But we are now more integrated into the global community. We don’t want things that are happening in Europe or anywhere in the world or in the Middle East to impact that. If we continue our journey with this transformation, we will be in a stronger position to help the region around us. A stronger Saudi is a stronger Middle East. A stronger stable Middle East is better for the global economy,” he said.

IN CONTEXT- Finance Minister Mohamed Al Jadaan said earlier this week that geopolitical tensions are endangering the global growth outlook explaining that “geopolitical risks are possibly the number one risk as you look at the global economy.”

A growing non-oil sector would help accelerate its diversification strategy, Alibrahim told CNBC (watch, runtime: 5:41). “Our non-oil growth has been growing steadily with 5.9% in 2022 and 4.4% in 2023. The IMF is forecasting 5.0% and 5.1% this year and the next. We believe this will help us continue our diversification story in an accelerated format” he said. The non-oil economy accounted for 50% of total real GDP last year, he said, a new high water mark.

A VISION POST-2030?

But what comes after Vision 2030? “This is a long term journey. Vision 2030 is a blueprint for us to accelerate diversification, kick up human capital development, and build strong institutions,” Alibrahim told Bloomberg. When asked whether there would be a blueprint beyond 2030, he said “yes.”

30 YEARS TO REBUILD GAZA-

“It will take 30 years to rebuild Gaza, 15 years potentially just to remove the rubble,” Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in a separate panel titled “Middle East under stress” (watch, runtime: 52:20). “And that’s just the physical infrastructure, nevermind the tremendous trauma that has now been formed in the civilians of Gaza that is now impacting civilians in the West Bank,” he said. He stressed the necessity of a “credible pathway to a Palestinian state” to “be able to talk about a sustainable pathway to stability and security for Israel.”

US SECURITY PACT “VERY, VERY CLOSE”-

Saudi “is very, very close” to finalizing a security pact with the US, bin Farhan said. “Most of the work has already been done. We have broad outlines on what needs to be done on the Palestinian front…It needs to be truly a credible, irreversible path to a Palestinian state.” His statements come after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier that the agreement between Washington and Riyadh is “potentially very close to completion.”

The agreement sees Saudi and the US working together on bilateral defense, military commitments and nuclear technology in exchange for a Saudi-Israel normalization accord. “To move forward with normalization, two things will be required: calm in Gaza and a credible pathway to a Palestinian state,” Blinken said. It has been in jeopardy since the Israeli war against Gaza broke in October.

A “REALISTIC” ENERGY TRANSITION-

There’s an urgent need for a “realistic energy transition program that is just and inclusive and includes everybody,” Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said in a separate panel, “The business case for the energy transition” (watch, runtime: 48:48). “We need to understand very clearly that policy without technological readiness and without economic competitiveness is not going to drive a solution. Incentives will drive a solution but it’s not sustainable,” he said, highlighting rising demand for hydrocarbons against renewable energy.

Speaking of Aramco: The state-owned oil giant is looking to invest in new types of energy outside Saudi, Reuters quotes Nasser as saying. He did not provide further details. Aramco has been pushing into both conventional and renewable energy across the world in the past 12 months.

Saudi is setting an example for a circular economy: The Kingdom has been able to rally international support for its push towards a circular economy and carbon capture, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said, according to Mubasher. Our carbon capture and storage facilities can process nearly half a mn tons of carbon, bin Salman said, urging other countries to follow with similar initiatives.

PRIVATE SECTOR SENTIMENT-

There’s emerging consensus on a sense of “cautious optimism,” WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi said on the wave of optimism overtaking private sector sentiment against a backdrop of globally divergent needs. During a panel titled “Investing amid global facture” yesterday, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink also echoed the same message of positivity regarding fiscal stimulus. “The amount of innovation that we are witnessing right now is going to create an incredibly large … investment cycle.” he said (watch, runtime: 0:40)

On mending a fractured global economy: Olayan CEO Lubna Olayan highlighted the importance of transparency in mending the currently fractured global economy. “The key thing for investors is transparency, rule of law, and that rules are applied to everyone equally,” she said (watch, runtime: 0:59). “Every country needs to find its own way.” she said.

The key takeaway: “We are in a paradigm shift. There are still investment [possibilities]. And developing countries will need to work differently to attract them,” Zahidi said.

ACWA HAS USD 10 BN FOR MALAYSIA?

#1- Renewables energy giant Acwa Power plans to invest USD 10 bn in Malaysia over the next decade, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported, citing statements by chairman Mohammed Abunayyan. The proposed “energy projects” in Malaysia will be implemented with Malaysian integrated renewable energy provider Cypark Resources. Talks on the plan are set to be finalized by the end of the year, Cypark Resources executive chair Datuk Ami Moris was quoted as saying.

What they said: “Acwa Power, one of the world’s largest renewable energy companies, is keen on investing in Malaysia, implementing technology transfer and sharing its renewable energy expertise for industrial parks in Jasin, Melaka, and Kerian, Perak, to power up green data centers,” Moris said.

#2- The Saudi Space Agency signed an agreement with the World Economic Forum to set up a Centre for Space Futures, according to a statement. The center, set to open later this year, aims to “facilitate public-private discussions on space collaboration” to help accelerate technologies, according to the statement.

#3- The WEF’s open innovation platform Uplink will help provide Saudi early-stage startups with advanced technologies to help “reduce, recycle and remove carbon from the atmosphere,” according to a statement. They also launched a competition for local startups to help source technology to preserve marine diversity among other initiatives.

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