Saudi Crown Prince instructs Riyadh planners to push ahead with city’s global ambitions

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman instructed Riyadh city planners to continue with implementing its ambitious 2030 strategy to make it one of the best global cities.

The Crown Prince’s instruction followed a board meeting of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, known as RCRC, to review the strategy that aims to place the Saudi capital among the top 10 global city economies and increasing its population to 15-20 million, while welcoming 40 million visitors by 2030, according to a statement from RCRC.

The strategy rests on six pillars including economic growth in all sectors, developing national talent, attracting global talent, and improving the quality of life.

The city’s strategic plan also includes its urban planning on a global scale, and prudent governance for the city’s resources and enablers. In addition, it focuses on developing a global brand for the capital to enhance its international political, economic and social roles as well as its competitiveness.

Riyadh’s 2030 strategy will be executed through 26 sectoral programs that include 100 initiatives and 700 projects, the statement added.

The RCRC will supervise the implementation of the strategy through the use of 50 key performance indicators that are driven from benchmarks with best global cities.

The Crown Prince, who is also the chairman of the board of RCRC, highlighted that Riyadh has many competitive advantages as it has the largest purchasing power in the Middle East with advanced infrastructure, according to the statement. He added it is a cornerstone for Saudi economic growth.