TAG: Industry
The city of Medina plays an important role in the cultural and historical make-up of Saudi Arabia. It is the final resting place of the Prophet Muhammad and is home to the Prophet’s Mosque, which the Prophet helped build after his flight from Makkah in 622 AD. Today, the Prophet’s Mosque is one of the largest mosque in the world and is the second-holiest site in Islam after the Great Mosque in Makkah. As such, Medina is an important religious centre for the world’s 1.9bn Muslims, with millions of pilgrims visiting the city and its holy sites annually. Saudi Arabia’s far-reaching development strategy, Vision 2030, has earmarked tourism – specifically Islamic heritage tourism – as an engine for growth in the Kingdom’s non-oil economy, with Medina set to play a central role in these efforts.
Saudi Arabia was in the midst of a process of economic diversification when Covid-19 hit, as it sought to develop new non-oil growth engines and stimulate private sector job creation.
While West Africa is one of the largest producers of cotton, it has the ability to process less than 2% of the crop locally; around 90% is exported to markets in Asia, where value is added through spinning and weaving.