This week, the in Riyadh brings together global leaders to shape the next chapter of the minerals and mining industry. The event underscores Saudi Arabia鈥檚 accelerating transformation into a global mining hub under Vision 2030,聽a shift that is no longer aspirational but policy-backed and rapidly聽materialising.
The Kingdom鈥檚 strategy signals a new era of cross-border collaboration, accelerated project development, and responsible mining practices. With demand for critical minerals surging worldwide, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself at the centre of this growth, driving large-scale exploration, feasibility studies and project mobilisation.
The 2026 conference follows a year of tremendous progress in Saudi Arabia鈥檚 minerals ambition. Landmark agreements,聽including a memorandum of cooperation between the Kingdom鈥檚 Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the U.S. Department of Energy,聽signal a shift in the global minerals landscape with direct implications for the industry. These developments reinforce Saudi Arabia鈥檚 role in shaping the future of mining and highlight the need for delivery partners to prepare for new markets, deeper partnerships, and higher expectations for execution excellence.
Saudi Arabia鈥檚 intent to transform itself into a global hub for mining under Vision 2030 is no longer just an aspiration;聽rather,聽it鈥檚聽becoming a policy-backed reality. With the U.S. now formally engaged in that vision, we can expect a surge in exploration, feasibility studies, and project聽mobilisation.聽From a delivery lens, this聽shift聽presents both a challenge and a tremendous opportunity. How do we scale delivery capacity, apply global best practices, and integrate sustainability and digital innovation in environments that are rapidly evolving?聽Beyond聽this, there聽is the undeniable skills gap,聽which must be聽addressed聽to scale mining activity in the region.聽Pulling in聽global聽expertise聽in聽the聽region will be essential in聽supporting聽the Saudi workforce to聽rapidly upskill聽in this聽sector.
Where do聽engineering and consultancy firms聽fit in? Right at the聽centre.
Our role in shaping the physical and operational infrastructure of these projects means we are uniquely placed to translate policy into tangible outcomes. But this requires adaptive contracting models, region-specific execution strategies and deep integration with both local stakeholders and international standards.
Additionally, as this bilateral cooperation unfolds, the expectation for responsible mining will only grow.聽聽Environmental, social and governance (ESG), supply chain transparency and community engagement can no longer be afterthoughts;聽they must be engineered into every phase of the project lifecycle.聽For聽Engineering,聽Procurement, Construction Management (EPCM) providers, this is a chance to lead by example and help define what modern, ethical mineral development looks like.
As discussions at聽the Future Minerals Forum聽are likely to聽make clear,聽continued聽cross-border聽collaboration will be essential to continue the Kingdom鈥檚 upward trajectory in this market space.聽聽At 糖心Vlog, we are looking forward to seeing how the conversations this week will shape聽the industry throughout the following year and the role that we will play in supporting this.