As part of the partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—represented by the National Competitiveness Center—and the World Bank Group, the Saudi Knowledge Hub (K-Hub) organized its first workshop in Riyadh today. The workshop, which aimed to enhance international cooperation and promote a global culture of economic reform, saw the participation of 36 government officials specializing in business environment enhancement from Jordan, Iraq, Zambia, The Gambia, and the World Bank Group.
During her opening remarks for the "Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Business Start-Up Reforms," an initiative by the Knowledge Hub to foster direct peer-to-peer learning on this topic, Her Excellency Dr. Eiman Al-Mutairi, Vice Minister of Commerce and CEO of the NCC, emphasized that the vision launched by His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud (may God protect him) has driven an unprecedented transformation of the Saudi economy. She added that the Kingdom's partnership with the WBG led to the launch of the pioneering K-Hub initiative, which aims to promote international cooperation, accelerate sustainable development in partner countries, and assist them in achieving their development goals.
Her Excellency outlined the most significant reforms implemented to strengthen the Kingdom's competitiveness, detailing the collaborative mechanisms between 65 government entities that have driven the implementation of more than 900 economic reforms since 2016 across key sectors. She further highlighted the issuance and updating of over 1,200 regulations and bylaws, which have collectively established Saudi Arabia's business environment as a leading global destination for companies and entrepreneurs. In conclusion, she noted that the Saudi Business Center stands as a pioneering global model and a source of inspiration for countries seeking to establish unified, effective, and high-quality government hubs to serve the private sector.
Organized by the K-Hub over three days, the workshop is tailored to the needs of participating countries. The agenda featured presentations of proposals, recommendations, and experiences designed to enhance business environments, with a special focus on the comprehensive model of the Saudi Business Center. The sessions also provided a holistic overview of the SBC, from implementing foundational reforms to designing a unified platform that streamlines the entire business lifecycle: start-up, operation, and closure.
The Knowledge Hub plans to deliver a series of workshops and activities tailored to the needs of partner countries. These will be aligned with its core functions in research, advisory services, and analysis, alongside its role in promoting knowledge exchange and capacity-building. This support is designed for countries seeking to replicate successful economic reform models and develop innovative policies and solutions that enhance key competitiveness drivers, particularly in business environment reform, productivity growth, entrepreneurship, SME development, and innovation.
The Knowledge Hub is a partnership initiative between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the National Competitiveness Center, and the World Bank Group. Its establishment followed the Bank's designation of Saudi Arabia as global point of reference for knowledge and the dissemination of economic reform culture. This recognition stems from the Kingdom's pioneering experience in implementing transformative economic reforms, which now serve as a replicable model for countries worldwide seeking to enhance their competitiveness.
