This engagement produced a long-range economic plan for a major industrial city in Saudi Arabia, as part of the city’s master plan update. It was commissioned by the Saudi government authority that plans and manages the city. Dr. Ghulam Mohey-ud-din led the economic plan from baseline diagnostics to the long-term economic vision.
Context
The city is an established node in the Kingdom’s refining and petrochemical base. National diversification objectives required a city-level economic roadmap: how to attract private investment, create quality jobs for nationals and reduce dependence on hydrocarbons, with realistic investment logic and sequencing.
Approach
- Competitive advantage analysis of the city’s key sectors, benchmarked against industrial cities in the GCC, Southeast Asia and East Asia.
- Spatial economic modelling to identify under-used assets, sites for new industrial development and infrastructure bottlenecks.
- Labour market diagnostics covering workforce composition, skills gaps, localisation targets and employment scenarios.
- Scenario and demand modelling for a 20-year growth path, infrastructure capacity and population projections.
- Stakeholder engagement with planners, private operators, ministries and sector experts to prioritise interventions.
Deliverables
- Baseline economic report and diagnostic assessment
- Sector competitiveness and cluster analysis
- Labour market and employment diagnostic
- Long-range economic vision and strategic framework
- Phased investment and diversification roadmap
Related services: Regional Development Planning and Economic Feasibility Studies.