Saudi Arabia- MENA-EX to attract 130 firms 

(MENAFN - Arab News) The mineral wealth of Saudi Arabia and the region beyond will be in focus at the MENA-EX 2010 that opens at the Hilton Hotel on Jan. 24. The three-day event combines a commercial exhibition and strategic forum led by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. The organizers of the event see in it an opportunity for companies and investors from across the region interested in the minerals and mining industry of the so-called Arabian Shield. These include Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Southern Sudan and Egypt.

The third meeting of MENA-EX (International Exhibition and Forum for Mineral Exploration, Investment and Application) is likely to attract over 130 local and foreign companies including 60 firms engaged in exploration and mining within the Kingdom, said Talat Idris, head of Global Ozone International Conference and Exhibition, the organizers. Idris said economists and experts believed the mining projects in the area were worth 11 billion.

Backed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), Maaden, Austrade and the South African Department of Trade and Industry are the major sponsors of the event.

Among the topics to be discussed at the forum will be opportunities in the mining sectors of the Arabian Shield, mining as an investment, mining laws and regulations, developing infrastructure to support mining and the successful investment climate in MENA region in the current worldwide climate.

By Shaheen Nazar