Saudi industry minister meets foreign officials ahead of Future Minerals Forum 2026

14/01/2026 01:48 AST

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held a series of bilateral meetings at the department's headquarters with ministers from several countries participating in the Future Minerals Forum 2026.

The meetings were also attended by the Deputy Minister for Mining Affairs Khalid Al-Mudaifer.

During his meeting with the Brazilian Minister of Mining and Energy Alexandre Silveira, Alkhorayef discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the mining and minerals sector as well as highlighted the most prominent opportunities available for developing joint mining investments.

In a meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, he discussed expanding the horizons of strategic partnership in the mining sector between the Kingdom and Pakistan, particularly in the field of mineral industries related to enhancing food security.

The minister also met with Nigeria's Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake as they discussed joint opportunities to develop cooperation and exchange technical expertise in the mining and manufacturing sectors, emphasizing the African country's pivotal economic role in West Africa.

Alkhorayef also held talks with the Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Louis Watum Kabamba to explore joint investment opportunities in the mining sector and ways to enable the private sector to capitalize on these opportunities, thereby strengthening supply chains for strategic minerals.

In a related development, the Saudi minister held a bilateral meeting with the World Health Organization Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhi during which they tackled cooperation between the Kingdom and the WHO in the manufacturing and supply chains of medicines and vaccines.

They also discussed ways to enhance global health security and solidifying the Kingdom's position as a strategic partner of the WHO as well as a promising regional hub for the pharmaceutical industry.

Alkhorayef's meetings with ministers preceded the fifth edition of the Future Minerals Forum, held from Jan. 13 to 15, in Riyadh.

The conference serves as a leading international platform for dialogue on the future of the global mining sector and for building effective partnerships between governments and the private sector, contributing to the growth and sustainability of the mining sector. It also reinforces Saudi Arabia's position as a global hub for mining and minerals.

SPA