Manufacturing Gulf ceramics makers poised for 2025 rebound Following a turbulent 2024, the Gulf’s listed ceramics makers should perform better this year thanks to lower customs duties, rising demand for their products and fewer Red Sea shipping disruptions. For equity investors, Oman’s Al Anwar Ceramic Tiles and the UAE’s RAK Ceramics provide a play on the Gulf’s rising population and mega infrastructure spending, […] January 30, 2025
Markets Saudi poultry producer to list 30% stake on Tadawul Poultry producer Arabian Company for Agricultural and Industrial Investment (Entaj), plans to list a 30 percent stake on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul). The Capital Market Authority, the kingdom’s market regulator, approved the offering of 9 million shares on Tadawul in September 2024. The offering price will be set following the end of the institutional bookbuilding […] January 30, 2025
Trade Edge Group invests in Israeli defence supplier UAE state-owned defence conglomerate Edge Group has bought a 30 percent stake in Israeli military supplier Thirdeye Systems for $10 million. The deal is a rare public investment by an Emirati company in Israel since the Gaza war began 15 months ago. Edge will also put an additional $12 million into a new, majority Edge-owned […] January 29, 2025
Manufacturing No investment, more efficiency, say GCC aluminium smelters Aluminium producers in the Gulf are not planning any fresh investments in 2025, despite a projected rise in global demand, an industry official said this week. Production in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries grew by around 120,000 tonnes to reach a record high of nearly 6.45 million tonnes in 2024, said Mahmoud Al-Daylami, […] January 29, 2025
Health US fund plans $200m factory in Saudi Arabia US-based fund Akkad Holdings is to invest $200 million to build an intravenous fluid factory in Saudi Arabia. The facility will be based in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Mecca province. “We’re going to break ground hopefully in the next six months,” Dr Steven Shaya, managing director of the fund, told AGBI at the […] January 28, 2025
Agriculture Livestock imports from Qatar and Egypt banned by China China has banned imports of sheep and goats from Egypt and animals and meat products from Qatar and nine other countries after outbreaks of highly infectious disease in those countries. The ban, which includes processed and unprocessed products, comes after China’s General Administration of Customs issued a series of announcements outlining the outbreaks in several countries based […] January 27, 2025
Industry Almarai to increase poultry output by 35% Almarai, the Middle East dairy and food production group, announced plans to increase its poultry output by 35 percent this year as it continues with its multi-billion-dollar expansion plans. The Riyadh company reported fourth-quarter profit of SAR430 million ($115 million), an increase of 16 percent, as revenue rose 4.8 percent to SAR5.15 billion. It announced a […] January 22, 2025
Energy Fertiglobe’s $1bn blue ammonia bet hinges on Asia Abu Dhabi-listed Fertiglobe will invest $1 billion in expanding its blue ammonia plant capacity if Asian countries commit to buying. The final decision on the investment depends on securing contracts from Japan and South Korea, who have plans to subsidise imports of blue ammonia, CEO Ahmed El-Hoshy told Bloomberg. The increased production will come through the […] January 22, 2025
Analysis Trade Trump’s bravado fails to spook minerals market – so far Ordinarily, commodity markets tend to react strongly when leaders of major global economies announce plans for war and conquest. If those plans involve disrupting one of the world’s most important sea lanes and reversing centuries of peace with two major allies, you might even expect a certain panic. Yet, when US President-elect Donald Trump declined […] January 21, 2025
Analysis Sustainability Companies scramble to meet UAE carbon emissions laws UAE companies have less than six months to comply with the country’s new emissions laws, but experts warn that some details are still unclear and a proposed carbon credit trading system may not meet its goals. The UAE introduced two pivotal pieces of environmental legislation last year. Cabinet Resolution No 67 on carbon credits came […] January 20, 2025
Manufacturing China’s Geely opens Mena’s first car assembly plant in Egypt China’s Geely Auto has opened its first car assembly plant in the Middle East and North Africa near the Egyptian capital to produce 10,000 vehicles per year for the domestic market and up to 30,000 for export. Cairo-based Auto Mobility company (Geely Egypt), said it has invested around $100 million in the new car assembly […] January 17, 2025
Industry Adnoc produces graphene and hydrogen at Habshan plant Adnoc Gas has started producing hydrogen and graphene – a “miracle material” stronger than diamond, more conductive than copper and more flexible than rubber. A subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Adnoc Gas has teamed up with Baker Hughes of the US to install decarbonisation technology patented by Levidian, a British climate technology enterprise, […] January 17, 2025
Analysis Sustainability Climate and cost: the Gulf’s water scarcity challenge Over the past 18 months, Saudi Arabia has set up a Global Water Organisation, established a stand-alone Saudi Water Authority and presided over the One Water Summit in Riyadh. At the summit on December 5, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for “collective action” to address water scarcity in the region and around the world. […] January 17, 2025
Analysis Tech How the UAE can make its push into space pay off Two years ago, the UAE’s Rashid Rover crashed into the moon’s Atlas crater during an attempted landing, marking an abrupt end to the country’s first mission to the moon’s surface. Now, back on Earth, the UAE is once again seeking to stake its claim as part of an elite club of countries with business to […] January 17, 2025
Mining Ma’aden signs $1bn contracts to develop industrial cities Saudi mineral giant Ma’aden has signed three contracts worth a combined $922 million with foreign companies to develop a third phosphate fertiliser project. The majority state-owned Saudi mining company announced the agreements in a note to the Saudi bourse on Thursday, coinciding with the final day of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. Ma’aden is […] January 16, 2025
Mining Saudi development fund might invest $100m in Pakistan mining Saudi Arabia might invest more than $100 million in Pakistan’s mining infrastructure through its development fund to scale up operations to meet demand. Minister of industry and mineral resources Bandar Alkhorayef also confirmed that mining company Manara Minerals, a joint venture between Saudi sovereign wealth fund the Public Investment Fund and miner Ma’aden, is interested in investing […] January 16, 2025
Analysis Mining Lithium find exposes Algeria’s neglected mining sector The discovery of lithium in Algeria is a major economic opportunity – but underinvestment in the country’s mining industry means it could take a decade or more to bear fruit, experts say. In May 2024, Algeria discovered significant deposits of lithium and other essential climate technology minerals in the southern regions of Tamanrasset and In […] January 16, 2025
Mining Aramco-Ma’aden JV to mine lithium in Saudi Arabia Saudi Aramco and Ma’aden, two listed companies on the Saudi bourse, will launch a joint venture for minerals exploration and mining in the kingdom. The proposed venture will focus on energy transition minerals, which includes lithium extraction from high-concentration deposits and use of cost-effective direct lithium extraction technologies. “This proposed JV would enable us to accelerate […] January 16, 2025
Mining Ma’aden announces new gold discoveries in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia’s state-owned mining company Ma’aden has announced the discovery of “multiple intercepts of recoverable gold and copper grades” in exploratory sites at Wadi al Jaww and Jabl Shayban, in a note published on the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) on Wednesday. In a separate note, it also revealed “strong gold mineralisation” beneath its flagship open […] January 15, 2025
Mining Saudi Arabia grants exploratory rights to six mining sites The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has allocated mineral exploration rights for six mining sites with a combined size of 890 sq km, according to the Saudi Press Agency. On Tuesday, the ministry announced that mining company Amak has been granted three exploratory concessions in Jabal al Khallah North (98 sq km) and […] January 14, 2025
Analysis Artificial Intelligence Tighter US chip rules offer challenges and opportunities Despite fierce industry opposition, the White House on Monday further tightened the government’s grip on exports from the US of advanced semiconductors outside of fewer than 20 partner countries, none of them in the Middle East. However, some industry experts say, it is not all bad news for Gulf states such as the UAE and […] January 14, 2025
Opinion Manufacturing How China won over the car market in the UAE Japanese, American and Korean brands retreated following the pandemic January 14, 2025
