Cairo: Thirty-eight government agencies will be prepared for privatisation within two years, a Saudi newspaper reported Saturday.
Those agencies are linked to ministries of the environment, water and agriculture; transportك energy; industry and mineral wealth; housing; education, health; rural and village affairs; the Haj and Umrah; communications and information technology; media and sports, Okaz added, saying it had seen rules of committees overseeing sectors targeted with privatization.
Other government bodies covered by privaisation plans, according to Okaz, include the Saline Water Conversion Corporation; the Irrigation Corporation; the Grains Organisation; the Centre for Waste Management; the National Centre for Meteorology; the Centre for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification; the Wildlife Development Centre; the Environmental Compliance Control centre; the National Water Company; the General Authority of Civil Aviation; Transport Authority; Ports Authority, the Airlines Corporation; the Railways Corporation, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy; the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu; and the Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones.
The report list, moreover, comprises the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation; the Health Council; Saudi Post; E-Government Programme (Yesser); the Radio and Television Authority; the Audiovisual and Media Authority and the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as well as science universities and specialized hospitals.
According to the report, the ministry or the government institution concerned with the sector will coordinate with the National Centre for Privatisation within two years at most to draw up a privatization plan featuring the sought-after objectives, the proposed privatisation projects, implementation priorities, proposed timetables, a review of the sector regulatory environment and proposed development in a manner motivating investment from the private sector.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to diversify its oil-reliant economy as part of dramatic reforms championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
