AHK Saudi Arabia 2

Saudi Arabia is an arid country with little rainfall and a capital, which is located in the driest part of the country, grows rapidly and is therefore dependent on (rapidly) declining groundwater reserves and seawater desalination plants with long supply lines. For a long time, little was invested in the dilapidated infrastructure and the increased water requirements were offset by energy-intensive desalination. However, falling oil prices and the growing need for jobs of the well-educated young population have shifted the government's focus away from the oil that formed the backbone of the country's economy towards other industries. Contrary to previous trends, Saudi Arabia has therefore been pushing for sustainable development and economic diversification since 2016 as part of its Vision 2030 (based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)), as he country is under pressure from a growing and young population. The country is receptive to the latest technologies and ready to make the necessary investments.

2020 to 2023, tenders were expected to be worth $ 21.4 billion in water and wastewater, including $ 11.3 billion for desalination, $ 7.9 billion for the water network, and $ 2.3 billion for wastewater treatment plants.

The Saudi government is dependent on foreign support to build environmentally friendly water management. The aim of the project was to support Saudi Arabia in building a sustainable water sector, reaching the SDGs and increasing awareness of the market potential of German SMEs.

In order to achieve this, the AHK Saudi Arabia was holding a webinar first. Here, German SMEs were informed in detail about the general political and economic situation and the special circumstances of the water and wastewater market in the kingdom. In order to reach a broader group of decision-makers and to raise awareness of the problems as well as the solutions of German companies, the AHK organized workshops in cooperation with local institutions. In Saudi Arabia, personal contact between business partners is a prerequisite for a successful business relationship. Therefore, the planned cooperation talks were important for positioning in tenders. A working group was then organized in collaboration with the Ministry for Environment, Water and Agriculture, and met twice a year. A brochure was compiled to summarize the results of the project and to ensure continuing cooperation.