RIYADH // Saudi Arabia on Monday appointed a housing minister with a background as a real estate developer, strengthening a trend towards giving top government jobs to people from the private sector as the kingdom grapples with economic and social welfare issues.
Majed Al Hogail, former managing director of Rafal Real Estate Development Co, owned by Saudi family interests, was chosen to head the housing ministry by King Salman, an official decree said.
Mr Al Hogail will lead efforts to ease a shortage of affordable housing for millions of Saudis. The government has pledged tens of billions of dollars towards the problem but red tape and difficulties obtaining land have slowed disbursement of the aid and actual construction of homes.
King Salman relieved the previous housing minister, Shuwaish Al Duwaihi, of his post in March – part of a series of shake-ups since he took the throne in January. Since then, there have been two major cabinet reshuffles and the health minister has also been replaced.
Saudi kings have appointed former businessmen to government jobs in the past, choosing the heads of top merchant families for the post of trade minister, for example.
But there are more business leaders serving in government now than in previous cabinets, analysts say, an indication that King Salman wants to use private sector experience as Riyadh seeks to avoid public discontent by improving social welfare and creating more jobs for Saudis.
“It’s clearly a statement that appeals to a more pragmatic, practical paradigm, going away from the traditional bureaucratic approach to problem-solving, especially in sectors relating to services,” said Hossein Shobokshi, a businessman and columnist.
Agriculture minister Abdulrahman Al Fadhli was head of Almarai, the Gulf’s biggest dairy producer, while health minister Khalid Al Falih was chief executive of state energy company Saudi Aramco.
Culture and information minister Adel Al Turaifi was general manager of the Al Arabiya news channel and economy and planning minister Adel Fakieh, also previously labour minister, had served as chairman of food company Savola.
Education minister Azzam Al Dakhil worked in the voluntary sector for a development foundation set up by deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, and social affairs minister Majed Al Qasabi once ran the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In addition, Saudi Arabian central bank governor Fahad Al Mubarak was managing director of Morgan Stanley Saudi Arabia, while capital market authority chief Mohammed Al Jadaan headed a large law firm partnered with Clifford Chance. Both those posts were always held by career civil servants until late 2012.
* Reuters
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company Profile
Company name: Big Farm Brothers
Started: September 2020
Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur
Based: Dubai Investment Park 1
Industry: food and agriculture
Initial investment: $205,000
Current staff: eight to 10
Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The%20Specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
WISH
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