Jeddah Economic Forum to discuss Kingdom’s privatization drive

Opportunities opening up in Saudi Arabia’s various economic sectors as a result of the ongoing privatization drive will be in focus at the three-day Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF), which begins Tuesday.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will inaugurate JEF at the Jeddah Hilton, with the participation of a number of high-profile Saudi and global economic experts and chief executive officers.
The theme of JEF 2016 is: Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Collaboration for Impact.
“The forum will bring together public officials and private industry leaders to enable effective implementation of public-private partnerships in the Kingdom,” the organizers stated.
It will be a platform for the Ministry of Economy and Planning led by Adel Fakeih to present their privatization strategy and showcase opportunities in the housing, transport, energy, water desalination, aviation, health, and education sectors.
The annual forum, organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), has come to be known as "Davos of the Middle East."
Basil Al-Ghalayini, CEO of BMG Financial Group, told Arab News on Sunday that the forum will facilitate knowledge creation about business development opportunities.
“Regulatory issues and risk management will be discussed in the context of potential privatization opportunities in a variety of sectors,” he said.
Al-Ghalayini will be moderating the Housing Panel on Day 2 of the deliberations with leading local and international participants from both, the public and private sectors.

Prominent among those who are listed as speakers at the forum are: Prince Abdullah bin Musaed bin Abdulaziz, general president, Youth Welfare, Amr Khashogi, VP HR & group affairs, Zahid Group, Khaled H. Biyari, CEO, Saudi Telecom Co., Fahd Hamidaddin, chief commercial officer of King Abdullah Economic City, Basmah M. Omair, CEO of Alsayedah Khadijah Bint Khawilid Businesswomen center, Nahed Taher, owner and CEO, GulfOne Investment Bank, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman, DP World and Jacques Attali, economist, writer and president of Positive Planet. 
Gabriel Chahine, partner with management consultancy Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co.) and head of the health care practice, who will be moderating the session on identifying health care privatization opportunities on a national scale, said the focus will be on clarifying the expectations of investors from governments and private partners as well as developing effective risk mitigation strategies.