His Excellency Al-Jasser inaugurates the activities of the Supply Chain and Logistics Conference with the participation of more than 100 entities and 45 speakers.
His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, inaugurated today in the capital, Riyadh; The activities of the “Supply Chains and Logistics Conference” in its fifth edition, which came under the slogan (Towards sustainable supply chains to enhance the circular economy), in the presence of their Excellences the ministers, senior officials and heads of companies operating in the supply chain and logistics sector, with the participation of 64 speakers from various countries of the world, and more than 100 entities from both the public and the private sectors.
His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services said in his speech during the opening ceremony: The Kingdom is witnessing – with the support of the wise leadership – successive and unprecedented leaps in the development of the performance of the transport and logistics sector, according to the specialized international indicators, since His Highness the Crown Prince launched the National Strategy for Transport and Logistic Services, which we reap its fruits today through increased operational efficiency in performance and growth of the sector’s business.
In his speech during the conference, His Excellency Al-Jasser reviewed the extent of the significant growth and development in the performance and efficiency of the Saudi logistics sector, and the extent of the large and promising opportunities in the services and economics of the logistic sector. His Excellency added that, in order to enhance the efficiency of the sector’s work, His Highness the Crown Prince, may God protect him, launched the general plan for logistics centers, which includes 59 logistic centers, on an area of (110) million square meters, distributed in a scientific manner across various regions of the Kingdom to develop the efficiency of supply chains and raise the competitiveness of the sector.
His Excellency Al-Jasser stated that the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services also launched a package of initiatives to increase performance efficiency, re-engineer procedures and apply international best practices to enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics center.
His Excellency stressed that the logistics sector in the Kingdom witnessed notable achievements during the current year 2023 as the Kingdom jumped 17 places globally in the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) issued by the World Bank, advancing from rank (55) to rank (38), adding that the ports sector has witnessed in a successive and continuous manner the influx of local and international investments from major companies to invest in the logistics sector. During the recent period, many agreements were signed to establish 12 logistic zones by the private sector in Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, and King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu, with an investment value of approximately 4.2 billion Riyals, which will contribute to creating more than 13,000 direct and indirect jobs in the logistics sector. His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services indicated that in the process of development and growth in the operational efficiency of the performance of Saudi ports, the Kingdom has jumped 8 international positions in handling the number of containers according to the global classification “LLOYD’S LIST 2023” for containers handling volumes, for the 100 largest ports in the world, after it jumped from 24th to 16th place internationally in handling container numbers. The Kingdom also raised its capabilities in the maritime navigation network connectivity index, according to the UNCTAD report for the third quarter of 2023, issued by The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and increasing shipping services to 24 new services during the current year 2023, which will contribute to enhancing trade and export movement, and increase the effectiveness of linking the Kingdom to global markets.
His Excellency pointed out that the railway freight route during the first half of 2023 witnessed the transportation of more than 12 million tons with an increase percentage of 13% over the same period in 2022. This contributed to the removal of more than 970,000 truck trips from the roads.
He also added that the field of air transport witnessed during the first half of the year a significant increase in the air traffic, passenger rates, and growth in air cargo business, in order to achieve the objectives of the aviation strategy which aims to raise the air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons, and the level of air connectivity to 250 destinations from and to the Kingdom’s airports by the year 2030.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, His Excellency Al-Jasser stated that the great progress in the logistics sector came with the support and empowerment of His Highness the Crown Prince, may God protect him, and his continuous support to strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics center in accordance with the targets of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics, stressing that the transport and logistics system integrates its efforts with the public and the private sectors to strengthen the supply chains and rise the Kingdom’s ranking to be among the top 10 countries in the logistics performance index by 2030, develop the logistics services sector, expand investment opportunities, and consolidate partnership with the private sector in the logistics services sector which is one of the main pillars supporting economic and development diversification in the Kingdom.
The opening session witnessed the signing of a package of agreements on the sidelines of the conference, amounting to 52 agreements, to enhance supply chains and logistics services. The conference contains key lectures, an accompanying exhibition and many specialized workshops. It also includes a corner for financing solutions and supply chains, and many other accompanying events and activities. The specialized workshops in the conference are about 8 workshops, and about 770 contestants participate in the “Logithon” event within 70 teams.
Over two days, the conference discusses many topics, most notably the importance of flexibility and sustainability of supply chains for the transition to a circular economy. The conference also addresses specialized supply chains and their development in the Kingdom, in addition to discussing the impact of global supply chains and their role in improving distribution processes, and other topics.
