Gulf Construction Online - Conference to discuss PPPs for schools

Saudi Focus

Conference to discuss PPPs for schools

01 January 2017

Saudi Arabia’s education ministry has announced plans to launch a partnership initiative with the private sector to develop school buildings and infrastructure across the kingdom.

The public-private partnership (PPP) plan is part of a wider initiative to support the kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy and provide exciting opportunities for investment by private companies in this sector, said experts ahead of a major conference in Riyadh.

The Investment and Finance in Educational Buildings Conference will be held at the Ministry of Education’s headquarters in Riyadh from January 10 to 11.

The summit will see experts focus on new funding initiatives, including PPP models, investment opportunities and financing options, said Fahad Al Hammad CEO of Tatweer Buildings Company.

The upcoming event will facilitate the involvement of investors, developers, suppliers and consultants from the construction, education and real estate sectors both at home and abroad together with banks, financial institutions, and private education institutions to discuss how the industry can move forward as one to achieve Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

“One of the key goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy is to promote the development of the kingdom’s education sector and to upgrade its infrastructure,” stated Al Hammad.

For Tatweer Buildings Company, this conference provides a unique opportunity to discuss the role that it will be playing to promote and fulfil the Vision 2030, remarked Al Hammad.

“The conference’s key topics will include sessions on financial mechanisms related to land-lease building (LLB), build maintain and transfer (BMT), public-private partnership (PPP) models for the private education sector, and asset investment vehicles,” he added.

“As a partner with the ministry, Tatweer has benefited from our work in preparing for and creating this initiative. We have employed international experts in the fields of construction and financing, with whom we have undertaken 10 research studies and reviewed 30 different mechanisms in order to promote public-private partnerships for the development of educational infrastructure,” he noted.

According to him, the ministry’s aim is to drastically reduce the time it takes to build high-quality buildings designed specifically for educational purposes.

“Tatweer Buildings Company is implementing over 590 real estate projects for the education sector, of which 117 have been completed and are ready for use,” he added.