This is already something that we are deeply committed to achieving. We know that our efforts in 2020 made a real difference to the Saudi economy. Our Local Content contribution was 8.9bn SAR this year, and we estimate there are 22,500 Saudi nationals working direct for Ma’aden or in our supply chains.
In 2020, 35% of all directly employed staff were from local areas, 70% were Saudi nationals and 88% of site budget spend on staff training was directed at local employees. We estimate the total contribution of our Local Content Program to the Saudi national economy, including through our supply chains, to be in excess of 15bn SAR for 2020.
As a leader in the mining industry, Ma’aden plays a key role in the transformation of the Saudi economy under Vision 2030. We are clear – our success is also Saudi Arabia’s success. The mining sector contributes US $26 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP, and has created 90,000 jobs. In the last decade, we commissioned eight new mines and constructed 17 processing and manufacturing plants, generating employment opportunities and providing education and vocational training support to local residents across central and northern Saudi Arabia.
We operate on the world stage, but we are aware of where we are from and the communities that we have a duty to support. As the national champion for Saudi Arabia’s mining industry, our vision for Local Content is focused on maximising the contribution that the mining industry can make to the wider Saudi economy and to Saudi society, through Vision 2030.
The mining sector
contributes
In 2020 we re-focused our efforts on Local Content Delivery and developed a new operating model to deliver the ambitious targets we have set for our Local Content contribution by 2030. This will help deliver our vision for Local Content - to maximize the contribution that the mining industry makes to the national economy. We will achieve this by increasing opportunities for Saudi individuals, businesses and communities.
