| Ibrahim Al-Assaf | ||||||
Reform, liberalization, infrastructure investment and international borrowing were among the leading topics of discussion at Euromoney's recent conference. Entitled Saudi Arabia: Financing the Future, this, the largest international conference of its scale in the Kingdom to date, took place on May 29-30 at the Al-Faisaliyah Center in the Olaya district of Riyadh. Euromoney organized and hosted the event along with co-organizer Council Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry and co-host Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.
The conference, which was opened by Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the governor of Riyadh, is evidence of a newfound desire to attract foreign investment and know-how. Through the oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s there was no need to encourage outside investment. However, today nearly 60% of the Saudi Arabian population are young adults about to enter the work force so the government must create jobs.