SABIC has five key contributional goals to Vision 2030, which are realised within the course of their everyday work. Throughout this article, I will detail some of the ways in which SABIC contributes to Vision 2030 and my experience of them in action during the SABIC visit.

One of the goals which SABIC lists on their website is to decrease unemployment rates; the manifestation of this can be seen with their collaborative work with five educational institutions, one of which is the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. This includes active recruitment by SABIC from the institutions and facilitating their students in pursuing a career with the company. Whilst talking to two PhD students at KAUST, who both mentioned the companies’ efforts to provide employment to them, as well as their wishes to work with the company following the completion of their education. The employment of graduates was also mentioned at the talk and so clear evidence of initiatives to achieve the goal of decreasing unemployment is apparent.

Another significant goal mentioned is increasing the private sector’s contribution to GDP; in my opinion, this is the goal which SABIC contributes to most. As SABIC is 70% government

owned, the focus is more on being a local content initiative rather than a business initiative driven towards profit, according to the business development specialist who led our tour.

Therefore, SABIC offers a platform for any business which wishes to localise, as long as they are based on innovation; they are also facilitated in the use of SABIC business models. Raw materials are also provided at a rate lower than the market standard, in order to incentivise localisation for international companies, as part of the endeavour to localise international manufacturing and processes, so that there is more growth in non-oil related GDP.

SABIC also provides support to start-up companies, in order to streamline their entry into the market; as soon as the factory is ready, as ‘plug and play’ human resources system is in place for the company to use. This provides small and medium enterprises with the tools and infrastructure to begin effective work in the least amount of time. This feeds into another of the goals towards Vision 2030: increasing SME contribution to GDP. In addition to working with governmental and private venture organisations to provide finance to companies, SABIC also has its own venture, SABIC capital, through which they provide access to finance to companies.

The last of the goals which I will mention is increasing the export contribution to non-oil GDP. In terms of supply, SABIC provides support packages, as well as working in over 50 countries worldwide, with 21 research centres. IT, HR and logistics packages are provided for additional support. SABIC works with 46 participants, both local and international companies, in order to provide raw materials for products and work on a mutual understanding of localisation. These participants are often industry leaders in the key business areas which SABIC focuses on.

In conclusion, SABIC’s contribution towards Vision 2030 goals is manifested in each area of their business, with evidence of it being seen in every sector of their work. From what I have experienced, SABIC is fully committed to Vision 2030 and dedicated to their contribution to

making the Vision a reality.

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My name is Koorut Ahmad. I study BA European Politics at King’s College London and I have just finished my second year. The main purpose of my visit to Saudi Arabia has been to immerse myself in Saudi culture and learn more about the Kingdom from a first-hand perspective. I wanted to see Saudi and its people myself, rather than relying on a Western media view. In particular I was interested to see how recent legal changes have manifested themselves in the everyday lives of women and their freedom, as well as seeing the interaction between Wahhabism and people’s lives.