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Saudi Arabia sees most improvement in ease of doing business: World Bank

Arab News
October 25, 2019

Riyadh, Oct 25: Saudi Arabia is the most improved country in the world for doing business, the World Bank said on Thursday. The Kingdom leapt 30 places in the annual survey of business efficiency in 190 countries, and was the top reforming country — the highest ranking since the bank launched its “Doing Business” survey 20 years ago.

The country now ranks 62nd in the world, ahead of many larger economies such as India, and it has introduced more reforms than China or Pakistan.

“Today, Saudi Arabia is celebrating,” Commerce and Investment Minister Majid Al-Qasabi said at the launch of the report in Riyadh. “And it is the outcome of tremendous efforts since the launch of Vision 2030.”

Simeon Djankov, the World Bank executive responsible for the report, said Saudi reformers had shown that “things that seemed impossible can be possible. Now the job remains to convince the rest of the world so they understand Saudi Arabia is open for business.”

“Something clearly is happening in the Gulf which has not happened before,” Djankov said.

The report ranked countries on their business climates, and found that the most improved countries over the previous year were in the Middle East – including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

“Achieving Aramco IPO is the single most important thing Saudi Arabia can do to improve its global business image," Djankov told Arab News. The time taken to start a business had been dramatically reduced and new online systems had speeded up export-import commerce, Djankov said. He also praised efforts to include more women in the workforce.

“A nation prospers when all its citizens benefit,” he said. “There are many areas in Saudi Arabia where women are on a par with men now, and the world should know about it.Thursday’s event also marked the inauguration of the National Competitiveness Centre, Tayseer, which will drive the Kingdom’s progress in business reform. Assistant Commerce Minister Iman Al-Mutairi, CEO of National Competitive Center (NCC), said the World Bank report was a “quantum leap” for the business community.

Saudi Arabia launched reforms in eight areas monitored by the World Bank, more than any other country. The report, based on interviews with 50,000 global private-sector executives, found the Kingdom had made the greatest progress in the area of business start-up. “It now costs only 5.4 percent of income per capita for an entrepreneur to start a business, which is lower than the Middle East and North Africa regional average of 16.7 per cent,” it said.

There has also been significant improvement in areas such as registry property and construction permits, and in the ease of obtaining electricity connections.

“Saudi Arabia’s impressive reforms … show its commitment to fulfilling a main pillar of its Vision 2030: A thriving economy,” said Issam Abousleiman, the World Bank’s GCC regional director.

Djankov said the Kingdom must now press on with reforms. “Why not repeat this performance next year, and the year after? The aim should be to be a better place to do business than Germany, France or the UK.” The World Bank said Saudi Arabia’s reforms included establishing a one-stop-shop for business registration, introducing a secured transactions law and an insolvency law, improving protections for minority investors, and measures to bring more women into the workforce.

“Everybody here in this region figured out we better diversify the economy in some direction and I think this is actually why the reforms are happening now,” he added.

The report coincides with the scheduled appearance of World Bank President David Malpass at a Saudi investment conference next week. The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and presidential adviser Jared Kushner would also attend the conference.

“Removing barriers facing entrepreneurs generates better jobs, more tax revenues, and higher incomes, all of which are necessary to reduce poverty and raise living standards,” Malpass said in a statement.

The top 10 rankings in the survey were largely unchanged from a year ago, with New Zealand holding its top spot, followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Denmark, South Korea, the United States, Georgia, Britain, Norway and Sweden.

Latin American countries lagged in the rankings, with Argentina falling seven places to 126th, and Mexico, the region’s highest-ranking economy, falling six spots to 60th.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Jeddah, Jul 31: Hajj 2020 pilgrims arrived in Muzdalifah Thursday night to rest after spending the day in Arafat.

Earlier, the pilgrims scaled Mount Arafat to pray and repent, as a highly unusual Hajj approached its climax. They listened to a sermon delivered by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manea and prayed Dhuhr and Asr prayers together at the Al-Namirah Mosque in Arafat.

This year’s pilgrimage is the smallest in modern times, after the number of participants was greatly restricted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

Tight security was in place around the foot of the rocky hill outside Makkah, also known as Jabal Al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, in preparation for the high point of the annual ritual.

Video footage shown on state television showed the pilgrims setting off on their climb to the summit. They wore face masks and observed strict social-distancing rules imposed by Saudi authorities.As sprinklers sprayed water on them to provide relief from the summer desert heat, the pilgrims raised their palms as they climbed the slopes of the hill — the site of Prophet Muhammad’s last sermon. When they reached the top they recited holy verses and prayed for forgiveness for their sins.

Earlier, the pilgrims were taken in buses from Mina to Mount Arafat. Strict precautionary measures were in place, with each group accompanied by security teams, ambulances and civil defense vehicles. 

When they arrived, their temperatures were checked before they entered Namirah Mosque to hear a sermon that was translated into 10 languages.

“The camps were set up for pilgrims in Arafat early on,” said Minister of Hajj and Umrah Muhammad Salih Bentin. The sermon at Namirah Mosque was delivered by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manea, who led the pilgrims in noon and afternoon prayers.

“During Hajj this year, we reiterate that it is essential for pilgrims, as well as everyone assisting them, to adhere to the precautionary regulations that have been implemented,” Al-Manea, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said during his sermon. “This is to be done for their own safety.

“Precautions have been put in place to protect lives against the damage that the pandemic can cause, and also to actualize Islam’s teachings pertaining to safeguarding human life by Allah’s permission.”

The stay in Arafat is described as the pinnacle of Hajj and Muslims around the world reflect the actions of pilgrims by asking for forgiveness and praying for their deepest desires.
Pilgrims left Arafat in coaches for Muzdalifah after sunset and will pray the Maghrib and Isha prayers there.

After sunset prayers, the pilgrims made their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, where they will spend the night before the final Hajj ritual, the symbolic stoning of the devil. 

This year, each pilgrim received sanitized pebbles in advance of the event on Friday, which is the first day of Eid Al-Adha.
This year the Kingdom faced the unprecedented challenge of ensuring pilgrims attending Hajj were protected as much as possible from the risks of the coronavirus.

They will then sleep, pray the Fajr prayer there tomorrow and then leave for Mina.

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Agencies
April 2,2020

Ankara, Apr 2: Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared a 24-hour lockdown in all parts of Makkah and Medina cities as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

"The 24-hour curfew will be imposed in all parts of the cities of Makkah and Medina, with a ban on entry and exit from both cities," the Saudi Interior Ministry said on Twitter.

The lockdown starts from Thursday “until further notice.”

All commercial activities inside the residential neighborhoods of the two cities were also prohibited, except for pharmacies, food products stores, gas stations and banking services, the ministry said.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 180 countries and regions, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Its data shows the number of confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 962,900, with the death toll over 49,100 and more than 202,700 recoveries.

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News Network
July 23,2020

Beirut, Jul 23: The pandemic will exact a heavy toll on Arab countries, causing an economic contraction of 5.7% this year, pushing millions into poverty and compounding the suffering of those affected by armed conflict, a U.N. report said Thursday.

The U.N.'s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia expects some Arab economies to shrink by up to 13%, amounting to an overall loss for the region of $152 billion.

Another 14.3 million people are expected to be pushed into poverty, raising the total number to 115 million — a quarter of the total Arab population, it said. More than 55 million people in the region relied on humanitarian aid before the COVID-19 crisis, including 26 million who were forcibly displaced.

Arab countries moved quickly to contain the virus in March by imposing stay-at-home orders, restricting travel and banning large gatherings, including religious pilgrimages.

Arab countries as a whole have reported more than 830,000 cases and at least 14,717 deaths. That equates to an infection rate of 1.9 per 1,000 people and 17.6 deaths per 1,000 cases, less than half the global average of 42.6 deaths, according to the U.N.

But the restrictions exacted a heavy economic toll, and authorities have been forced to ease them in recent weeks. That has led to a surge in cases in some countries, including Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

Wealthy Gulf countries were hit by the pandemic at a time of low oil prices, putting added strain on already overstretched budgets. Middle-income countries like Jordan and Egypt have seen tourism vanish overnight and a drop in remittances from citizens working abroad.

War-torn Libya and Syria have thus far reported relatively small outbreaks. But in Yemen, where five years of civil war had already generated the world's worst humanitarian crisis, the virus is running rampant in the government-controlled south while rebels in the north conceal its toll.

Rola Dashti, the head of the U.N. commission, said Arab countries need to “turn this crisis into an opportunity” and address longstanding issues, including weak public institutions, economic inequality and over-reliance on fossil fuels.

“We need to invest in survival, survival of people and survival of businesses,” she said.

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