Analysis: Dr. Tawfiq al-Rabiah Active in New Role as Commerce and Industry Minister
Lucien Zeigler | SUSRISblog
Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah
Last month King Abdullah named Dr. Tawfiq al-Rabiah as Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry succeeding Abdullah A. Zainel Alirezawho had served in the post since March 2008. Dr. Rabiah has quickly stepped into an active role promoting business on behalf of the Kingdom. He has already led delegations from Saudi Arabia to India and Switzerland, according to Arab media reports, and has held meetings with foreign delegations in the Kingdom.
During Dr. Rabiah’s first trip abroad, a two-day visit earlier this month to India, he discussed areas of cooperation and prospects for growth in meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and government officials including the ministers of foreign affairs, oil and finance, according to Arab News. Both India and Saudi Arabia are emerging economic powers that have experienced strong growth in the last decade, with Singh describing the Kingdom as a “valued partner.” For his part Dr. Rabiah said, “the Kingdom looks forward to enhance links in all sectors.”
On January 16th Dr. Rabiah met with Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, Daniel Malone for discussions on trade and industrial relations between the two countries, according to SPA. They also reviewed the promotion of trade and industrial cooperation by encouraging the private sector in both countries.
Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah
Last week the Minister kicked off the Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh, a unique annual meeting of global business leaders, international political leaders, and selected intellectuals and journalists brought together to create a dialogue on how competitiveness can affect economic and social development. Dr. Rabiah delivered King Abdullah’s inaugural remarks at the opening of the landmark conference which focused on entrepreneurship, saying that “Saudi Arabia gives utmost importance to improving the lives of citizens through sustainable development and by strengthening the private and public sectors.” Other top Saudi officials at GCM2012 included Prince Turki Al Faisal, Chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah, Minister of Education, and Adel Fakeih, Minister of Labor.
This week Dr. Rabiah was in Geneva, Switzerland for a World Trade Organization Trade Policy Review process meeting, the first time the Kingdom has been reviewed by the WTO since 2005. Rabiah said the meeting provided an opportunity to look over the accomplishments of the Kingdom in economic growth and diversification over the past years, according to Arab News.
Dr. Rabiah was Director General of MODON, the Saudi General Property Authority, before relinquishing that position to assume his new role as Minister of Commerce and Industry. He was among the top Saudi officials at the 2011 US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum in Atlanta last month a week before he was appointed as the new Minister of Commerce. In his remarks at the Forum he addressed the National Industrial Strategy noting the Kingdom sought to move the manufacturing sector “to a different level focusing on the knowledge-based economy and to develop it to be a sustainable part of the economy.”
Dr. Rabiah is in touch with the increasingly connected Saudi population on social media sites such as Twitter, with over 20,000 followers and Facebook accounts in Arabic.
Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah holds a BA degree from King Saud University and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh. He previously worked for SAGIA, as Director General of the Information and Communications Technology sector.
Lucien Zeigler is editor of Arabianomics.com and this item is reprinted here with his kind permission.
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Lucien Zeigler is interested in energy’s role in international commerce and geopolitics. He graduated from the University of Virginia’s Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics with a degree in Foreign Affairs. In addition to serving as editor of Arabianomics.com he is currently Research Director for the Saudi-U.S. Trade Group (SUSTG), a not-for-profit 501-c(6) trade group based in the Washington D.C. area.
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Related Material:
- The New Minister of Commerce and Industry – Zeigler – SUSRIS – Dec 16, 2011
- SPECIAL REPORT: Saudi Cabinet “Mini” Shuffle – SUSRIS – Dec 13, 2011
- Saudi Arabia and India to boost energy ties – Arab News – Jan 5, 2012
- Al-Rabiah starts discussions in trade policy review meeting in Geneva – Arab News – Jan 26, 2012
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