Saudi Arabia has used the Gulf Vision 2026 Forum in Paris to showcase investment opportunities across its $2.5 trillion mineral resource base to French and European partners, as the Kingdom accelerates its push to establish mining as the third pillar of the national economy under Vision 2030.
Khalid Al-Mudaifer, Saudi Arabia’s vice minister of industry and mineral resources for mining affairs, presented the Kingdom’s economic transformation agenda and held bilateral meetings with French officials and representatives of major French mining and industrial companies. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in mining investment, technology transfer and joint ventures, with particular emphasis on mineral exploration, sustainable mining practices and expanding domestic mineral value chains.
Vision 2030 aims to unlock more than $2.5 trillion in mineral resources including gold, copper, zinc, phosphates, aluminium and rare earth elements, diversifying revenue sources while strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position in global supply chains. The pace of licensing is accelerating: the Kingdom issued 80 new mining licences in March 2026, more than double the 38 issued in February, reflecting the government’s intensified effort to open the sector to international investment.
Al-Mudaifer highlighted Saudi Arabia’s commitment to providing a favourable investment environment backed by modern legislation and financial incentives. He also pointed to the National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme, which integrates industry, mining, energy and logistics under a unified national strategy, as a vehicle for expanding industrial capabilities, strengthening local value chains and improving the global competitiveness of Saudi products.
The vice minister emphasised that Saudi ambitions extend beyond resource extraction toward integrated industrial value chains — a positioning consistent with the broader shift among mineral-rich nations seeking to capture processing and manufacturing value rather than exporting raw materials.
