RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is poised to create 150,000 new jobs in chemical plants and renewable energy facilities with a commitment to achieving 75 percent localization, said a top official.

During the Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman emphasized that the energy sector has the biggest chance to achieve the target of Saudi workers compared to any other sector.

The minister said: “We see somewhere around 150,000 jobs being created, including not only working in chemical plants and with heavy wind or renewable facilities but also we see a lot of jobs are coming through the localization programs. We also are committed to a localization program which is 75 percent.”

He added: “This is what we are going try to achieve with using this approach just to give you an idea of how we are thinking and how much it is being elaborated.”

During his speech, the minister highlighted the global disparity in female participation across sectors.

While most sectors have 39-49 percent female participation, the energy sector lags with only about 15 percent globally.

“In Saudi Arabia, the number is way much lower than even the 15 percent,” said Prince Abdulaziz, adding: “So the task that we have is mammoth and difficult, but it’s doable.”

The energy minister went on to say: “I have to confess that this is a subject that I take special interest in — not only myself but our leadership. You just have to look around this stage, and you will see how effective woman empowerment has been over the last five or six years. I’m sure that if you visit us again every year for this event, you will see how seriously women’s empowerment is being taken.”

He described the past decades, referring to it as the “black box”  or the black period, contrasting it with the current leadership’s focus on self-discovery for economic advancement.

“People call it the days of Sahwa — waking up; I used to call it the days of Ghafwa or napping. Only now, with our current leadership, we went to self-discovery of what truly the bigger machine for our economy, and you will find it in no more than the two factors that I’m going to mention: youth and women empowerment,” added Prince Abdulaziz.

On the sidelines of the conference, the energy minister announced the launch of the Saudi Technical Institute for Petroleum Services, rebranded as the Energy Tech Institute.

Additionally, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center made another announcement, having been granted an establishment license for its School of Public Policy.

The school aims to set groundbreaking standards in policy studies by offering a two-year master’s degree and executive education programs.

These tailored programs aim to equip and empower future policy leaders and professionals within Saudi Arabia and globally. The objective is to enable them to address the most critical public policy challenges across various sectors, including public, non-profit, and private.

“The vision for KAPSARC School of Public Policy is to develop the knowledge and skills that the new generation needs to shape public policy both locally and globally,” said the minister.

He added that the mission is to empower and equip future policy leaders and professionals within Saudi Arabia and internationally to make informed socio-economic decisions.

“Public policy serves as the foundation of societal progress. At KSPP, we aim to be a catalyst for collaboration, building a robust ecosystem that bridges academia, industry, and government in the public policy arena,” said Ghadah Al-Arifi, founding dean of KSPP.