GESALO, the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen in collaboration with Mena Business GmbH, is organizing a market exploration trip to Saudi Arabia (Riyadh and Dammam), with the support of the VDMA Mining Association and the Foreign Mining Association (FAB) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.  

As a German company, you will have the opportunity to present your products, services and fields of cooperation to a specialist audience consisting of representatives from companies, associations and government institutions during seminars and workshops on site. You will also visit local decision-makers and potential business partners as well as reference projects. On request, B2B appointments will be organized for you afterwards.

• Start: April 21, 2024
• End: April 25, 2024
• Location: Riyadh and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
• Field of application/ technology: Mining, mineral resources
• Target market: Saudi Arabia
• Target region: MENA region, Near and Middle East, Arabian Peninsula

The project is part of the market development program for SMEs and is subject to the de minimis rules. The company's contribution for participation in the project depends on the size of the company.

Registration deadline: Feb 09, 2024.

Information about the target market

With Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is planning a social and economic modernization for which mineral resources continue to be one of the most important pillars and industries of the Saudi economy.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is home to significant untapped ore deposits which Saudi Arabia plans to open up, expand existing mines and develop new deposits.

While the mining sector is still underdeveloped compared to other sectors of the economy, the Saudi Arabian government has ambitious plans to make mining a major pillar of the economy, comparable to oil and gas production and petrochemicals.

The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) plays a central role as the largest investor in the mining and downstream industries. Ma'aden's projects cover the production of aluminium and phosphate fertilizer, whereby the company covers the entire value chain in both sectors and, according to the company’s data, is the second largest exporter of phosphate fertilizer in the world.

The company is currently working intensively on expanding its production capacity from 6 million to 9 million tons. For example, the "Phosphate 3 Expansion" project, an ammonia plant with an annual capacity of 1.1 million tons, is under construction in Ras al Khair, in the indirect vicinity of Dammam. Other sub-projects are currently in the tendering phase, including, for example, a DAP plant (di-ammonium phosphate fertilizer), a phosphate processing plant and a plant for the production of phosphoric and sulphuric acid, as well as several other projects.

Even higher investments are planned for projects in the processing industries. Another project concerns the production of EV batteries (electric vehicles). A plant for the production of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) is to obtain the necessary raw materials from local mines in the medium term. These are currently still being imported from Australia.

Saudi Arabia currently offers many opportunities for SMEs from Germany, particularly in the downstream mining industry.

Organization and contact persons

The market exploration trip is organized by the GESALO in cooperation with MENA Business GmbH. If you have any questions regarding registration on the German side, please contact Mr. Matthias Mauz (MENA Business).

MENA Business GmbH

Matthias Mauz +49-(0)30-20 455886 mauz@mena-business.com

Mauz Charlottenstr. 16 | 10117 Berlin, Germany