The first full day of the conference is done. The day kicked off with excellent keynotes from H.E. Dr. Tawfig Alrabiah, Saudi Arabian Minister of Commerce and Industry, and from The Hon. Penny Pritzker, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and both speakers noted Saudi Arabia’s drive to become more of a knowledge-based economy.
Secretary Pritzker noted “The Saudi economy is diversifying into fields like education, technology, and financial services. And the Saudi government is making transformative investments. U.S. businesses stand ready to partner with Saudi Arabia at this exciting moment – as it moves to become a more knowledge-based economy.”
H.E. Minister Alrabiah was equally eloquent in his comments regarding the successes of the Saudi economy and his complete remarks can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/74754509. “Under the leadership and vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia has been focusing more and more on promoting the transfer of know-how and technology to diversify outside the hydrocarbon sector. We are building today the foundations of a sustainable, long-term commercial and industrial relationship with our partners. The United States is host to almost half of all Saudi students studying abroad, helping fulfill King Abdullah’s vision of creating a knowledge economy.”