Over the last decade, the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recognised the importance of the mineral and mining sector, with special emphasis on industrial minerals. The recent establishment of the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) is an important step towards the improvement of the efficiency of this sector. The Government is in the final phase of creating an attractive and stable investment environment in the mineral sector. A draft of the new mineral policy, prepared by the Deputy Ministry of Mineral Resources and reviewed by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and the World Bank's Mining Unit, is in the final stage of approval by the higher authorities of the Kingdom. The growth of the industrial mineral sector is an essential constituent of the Kingdom's economic and industrial development policy - large sustainable resources are in Saudi Arabia.
