Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Mr. Bandar Al-Khorayef, the works of the Thirteenth International Geological Conference were launched on the evening of Tuesday, the eighth of Rajab, which is organized by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources represented by its Mineral Resources Agency and in cooperation with the Saudi Society for Geosciences, for a period of three days at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel .

The opening ceremony of the conference included a speech by the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Mr. Bandar Al-Khorayef, in which His Excellency touched on the importance of supporting such conferences and participating in them, explaining that the contribution in sponsoring his work will have a great impact in supporting the mining sector, which is what achieves the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince, in their keenness to fully benefit from the scientific potential In achieving the comprehensive economic renaissance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, adding, “We are working in the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources to develop and facilitate everything that would support the mining industry in Saudi Arabia. We are also proud of the developments and achievements that have been achieved in supporting the mining sector, with the grace of God and then with joint efforts. Of the workers in the ministry and the relevant authorities ”.

Within the framework of the comprehensive strategy for mining and mineral industries, he indicated that it “aims to develop and qualify the sector to contribute to meeting the needs of the industries and the national market for mineral resources. The contribution of the mining sector to the GDP is expected to rise from 64 billion riyals to 240 billion riyals by the year 2030, in addition to generating 219 thousand new jobs.

On one of the Ministry's Agency for Mineral Resources initiatives related to the conference, His Excellency explained that the National Geological Database initiative includes, in its first version, geological survey and exploration data for more than six decades of geological exploration work in the Kingdom, as it contributes to providing multiple geological data that enables investors to know the data Detailed information on the sites of mineralization and mineral wealth in Saudi Arabia.

It is worth noting that the conference includes the presentation of a number of working papers in addition to holding specialized workshops on several topics in earth sciences, including: geology of the Arab world, geotechnical engineering, geological hazards, earthquake engineering, applied geophysics, geotourism, applications of remote sensing and geographic information systems. And mining investment, sustainability and development of water resources, and environmental geology, as this comes with the participation of a group of experts, officials and specialists from various countries of the world from ministries, federations, research centers and related organizations, in addition to the bodies, companies, institutions and funds specialized in mining investment and earth sciences.