Saudi Arabia’s Qassim region has a highly enviable value of untapped mineral wealth at SR 122 billion, or $32.5 billion, which can support the Vision 2030 initiative set by the Kingdom, according to the spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.
Qassim province is a treasure trove of high-quality mineral ores, including lead, tin, granite, and tungsten. This strategic commitment to economic diversification has established the mining sector as a key component of national development plans in the country. The total mineral wealth of a country amounts to an estimated SR9.4 trillion.
The region has mineral resources amounting to SR87.7 billion in gold, SR24.6 billion in bauxite, SR4.7 billion in zinc, SR4 billion in copper, and SR1.4 billion in silver. Al-Jarrah cited: “About 400 kilometers northwest of Riyadh, the province has 35 mineralized belts out of which 15 are copper and lead, three nickel and one zinc, and 16 consists of gold.
In addition, Qassim hosts eight phosphate reserve sites and bauxite ore mining complex. The region also has 32 construction material mining complexes, of which seventeen are for gravel, nine are for sand, and six are for fill material.
The industrial sector of Qassim is not just strong, but highly diversified. It boasts 580 factories, with about 84 percent in the main cities of Buraidah, Unaizah, Al-Rass, and Al-Badayea. Major sectors of the region’s industry cover food and beverages, basic goods manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and rubber and plastic production.
The industrial workforce in Qassim amounts to approximately 35,000 employees, with women accounting for over 15 percent of this workforce. This indicates ongoing efforts at woman empowerment in different sectors.
The Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Mr Bandar Alkhorayef, will be visiting Qassim as a government representative, and he aims to launch several projects in the industrial areas controlled by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON). He also plans to attend the launching ceremony of the Youth of Industry forum, in which the government aims to upgrade national skills in the industrial sector based on specialized workshops and career counselling.
Saudi Arabia is an important player in the global market owing to its mineral resources, which enable the Kingdom to emerge as a major exporter of different types of energy and transition out of its traditional dependence on the production of oil. In fact, the country has vast amounts of critical minerals such as aluminium and copper, rare earth elements and essential resources which are beneficial for supporting global agriculture and which also help in the energy transition.
