From Aspiration to Achievement: The Saudi Vision 2030
Saudi Vision 2030 was founded on King Salman’s earnest desire for his country to be a pioneering and successful global model of excellence, on all fronts. The Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman believes it to be an ambitious yet achievable blueprint, which expresses the nation’s long-term goals and expectations and reflects the country’s strengths and capabilities. These two statements succinctly define the idea behind this shared national aspiration to be realized by 2030.
National visions although politically attractive require a whole set of planning, policy and strategic actions to materialize and the same principle is true for Saudi Vision 20230. It is based on three pillars including promotion of Saudi’s role at the center of the Arab and Islamic World, utilizing its huge investment potential to diversify its economy and finally leveraging its geostrategic location for greater connectivity between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. Three core themes have been chosen to guide the Vision namely a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. The themes are designed to be mutually reinforcing to achieve the foundational pillars of the Vision. For instance, without a vibrant society and ambitious citizens, a thriving economy is difficult to sustain.
Although Vision 2030 offers immense opportunities, it nevertheless has posed substantial challenges to be achieved. Therefore, a coherent strategy is a pre-requisite to realize the vision. The Government has put in place a robust monitoring mechanism to consistently track the progress of the country on various fronts.
Saud Arabia’s current position in the global economy is 19th and the aim is to progress this ranking to 15th by 2030. The other quite significant target is to increase the non-oil exports from current 25 % to about 50 %, aligning with one of the strategic pillars of diversifying the national economy. Also, the aim is to increase the non-oil government revenues to SAR 1 trillion. It is estimated that the country’s proven oil reserves of about 268 billion barrels will last for another 50 to 70 years based on the current production rates. Thus, the Saudi leadership’s constant quest for gradual transitioning to diversified economy is proactive and highly strategic.
Cities are considered as engine of growth. The government has prioritized urban development as part of its economic growth agenda. Already, one Saudi city is among the top 100 global cities. The aim for 2030 is to have at least 3 cities among the top 100. The City of Noem exemplifies Saudi’s vision for modern city of the 21st century.
Women empowerment is always an integral component of any development strategy particularly in patriarchal societies. In line with this principle, the Vision aims to increase women participation in the work force from a baseline of about 22 % to about 40 %. It is important to note that the current share of women in the labor force has already increased to about 34 %. In order for women to be competitive in the labor market, it is crucial to invest in higher education programs with potential higher female enrollment.
Saudi Arabia has sufficient number of higher education institutions including colleges and universities per unit of population which is higher than the global average. However, there is need for further enhancing the quality of education by leveraging the right kind of resources and bringing the curriculum at par with national needs and market demands. As per QS World University Ranking 2025, three of Saudi Universities have already made it to the top 200 ranking. Vision 2030 aims for having at least five of Saudi universities to be among the top 200 international ranking. Given the progress, it does seem quite achievable, but should not be taken for granted and will require consistent efforts.
The people are Saudi’s greatest assets when it comes to the realization of Vision 2030. Investing in people through human resources development initiatives should be at the center of the government strategy. Currently, around 70 % of the country’s workforce consists of expatriates. Efforts have been underway through various localization policies to increase the participation of Saudi nationals in the workforce. It is true that foreign expatriates have been playing a vital role in the country’s development by contributing their talents and skill sets. Saudi will continue to attract and welcome foreign workers in the years to come as it has been a mutually beneficial exchange. However, as a long term strategy, the Saudi leadership must be cognizant of the need to transition to more nationalized workforce while still open to foreign talent.
Saudi Arabia holds a distinguished status among the Arab and Islamic world. With its vast land, rich natural resources, strategic location and visionary leadership, Saudi Arabia is well on its way to becoming a fully developed nation in the- not-so-distant future. Vision 2030 is part of those efforts.
Dr. Ajmal Shams is Vice-President of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party. He served as a Deputy Minister in the former Government of Afghanistan. X: @ajmshams
