Abdullah's space

Abdullah Mohammad Al-Zamil receiving the appreciation award. (AN photo)

DAMMAM, 3 June 2005 — Learning knows no barriers, be it age, qualification or profession. It is relatively easy to count the number of seeds inside an apple, but it is almost impossible to count the number of apples that have grown because of one seed. This was the very basic premise on which the new Zamil Toastmasters club was born here in Dammam last week.

A select gathering of current Toastmasters, aspiring Toastmasters and guests were present at the launching of the latest Toastmasters club.

“Although I have made over 70 presentations worldwide and have seen the reactions of the audience, I still believe that speaking is both an art as well as a science. One must always strive for better results so that the science can be made into a better art and the art more scientific,” commented Abdullah Mohammad Al-Zamil, president of ZIIC, the moving force behind the new club.

This incidentally, is the third corporate Toastmasters club in the Eastern Province. And if this is any indicator of things to come, more corporate Toastmaster clubs are expected to crop up in the near future.

It is really never too late to learn the art of public speaking, albeit it may be a trifle more difficult as age catches on. But the spirit behind such clubs is one which makes one more daring, more confident and a lot more relaxed and at ease with oneself.

The Table Topics of the day are a real challenge for the speakers as the reaction time is rather limited.

As a matter of fact, one’s mind needs to be ticking rapidly and words need to flow in a sustained and regular flow.

Sami Abdullah Abu Suraih was one of the Table Topics speakers. “Sure I was a little nervous as there was a big crowd watching me...as if they were waiting to jump on me as soon as I made a mistake,” joked Abdullah. “But I am glad that I am a part of such a club as I need to overcome my shyness and increase my confidence,” said Abdullah.

“The idea is very simple. We wish to make the individual more alert and responsive to his environment,” commented Anil Madan, a veteran Toastmaster who was also the grammarian for the evening.

“Every individual has his own level of ego and each seeks one’s own way of fulfilling it. However, the fear of the response precludes one from really letting his emotions flow. There is a tendency to withhold.

The audience has evolved in its ways of responding to the speaker. However, the situation which is really nerve wracking is when one glances at the clock and then tries to make sure that the clock has not stopped,” commented Syed Younis, the general evaluator.

“In Toastmasters, the two hours of continuous exercise aims at doing away with the apprehensions, the fears of speaking to a group of people. Apart from the extemporaneous approach, there is also the opportunity for speakers to deliver their prepared speeches. During the whole session, there is complete evaluation from the point of view of grammar, time taken, self-confidence, thoughts and finally, the style of presentation,” commented Saif Ali Sheikh, the governor of Division F-79.

Satish Kinny anchored the proceedings.

Lively debates saw delegates to the Saudi Mega Projects 2005 glued to their seats on the second day of the conference. (AN photo by Imran Haider)

DAMMAM, 9 May 2005 — A senior government official has called upon Saudi and foreign companies to forge economic alliances in order to carry out new oil projects worth SR487.5 billion ($130 billion).

Abdul Rahman Abdul Kareem, deputy minister of petroleum and mineral affairs for company affairs, made the call while addressing the oil and gas session of the Saudi Mega Projects 2005 here. (See Page 14)

Salim Al-Aydh, senior vice president for engineering and operations services at Saudi Aramco, backed the minister and said the new oil projects demanded powerful companies. He pointed out that 81 percent of Aramco contractors are small companies each with a capital of less than $5 million. He emphasized the need to establish giant Saudi companies that can take up mega projects at regional and international levels.

The second day of the conference saw lively debates by experts as the delegates were glued to their seats. Not a seat was seen vacant. CEOs Patrick Allman-Ward of South Rub Al-Khali Company(SRAK) and Alexander Nikolaev of Luksar Energy detailed of SRAK and Luksar joint ventures.

Ameen Ahmed, a delegate from GAS Arabian Services, was visibly impressed with the session on oil and gas, but he reserved his praise for Al-Aydh. “He was very vocal and professional and I was very impressed with the way he addressed the situation on the forthcoming business opportunities. He touched upon the opportunities that could be best utilized by local contractors,” said Ahmed, one of the many local delegates who came for the session in order to identify the potential business opportunities.

The following session on mining opportunities and transportation also attracted substantial attention. Great details were laid out on the railway expansion projects. A very bright and attractive possible scenario for the coming five years was painted by Khaled Alyahya, president of Saudi Railways Organization.

“Railways is a major thrust area and shall go a long way in playing a major role in the infrastructure development of the country,” said Dr. Zaya Malik, the business development director of Arabian Food Supplies.

Mining is another industry where local contractors are eyeing good potential. Dr. Abdullah Dabbagh, president of Maaden, was applauded for a wonderful presentation. He highlighted the great potential in all the Maaden projects.

“It was a day well spent,” commented Malik. Having come from Jeddah, he is looking for opportunities in operations and maintenance.

The third session concentrated on the power and desalination. Presentations were made by Feheid Fahad Al-Shareef, governor of Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC); Abdullah Al-Marei, president and CEO of Marafiq; Tariq Al-Betairi, executive vice president of Saudi Electric Company; Adnan Al-Mohaisen, general manager, GCC Interconnection Authority; Dr. Ranald Spiers, the CEO of Middle East and Africa International; and Fareed Al-Yagout, president of National Power Company.

“The last session of the day was really a very significant and important session,” said Zia Akbar, the group commercial manager of Al-Jabr Trading Co.

The presenter who drew the greatest applause from the audience was Sami Abdulghani, executive president of Saud Consult. He showed the possible equation between the current availability of local engineers and the great demand in the coming days. The question-and-answer session saw contractors throwing light on their problems regarding visas, Saudization, building up of expertise and so on. The end of Day One saw a look at the strength of the Saudi economy and how the second boom is under way.

“As compared to the boom of the ’70s, we are now better prepared and better equipped to maximize the results of the second boom,” commented Akbar, a veteran of more than 35 years in the Kingdom.

The final day of the Saudi Mega Projects 2005 conference saw the speakers talk about growing investment opportunities in the oil and petrochemical sectors. (AN photo by Imran Haider)

DAMMAM, 10 May 2005 — The three-day Saudi Mega Projects 2005 conference ended here yesterday urging Saudi and foreign businessmen to make use of the huge investment opportunities in the Kingdom, especially in oil, gas, petrochemicals, electricity and railroad.

“Saudi Arabia, which sits on a quarter of the world’s proven oil reserves and has the fourth largest gas reserves, offers promising investment opportunities in the energy sector and support services,” said Abdul Rahman Abdul Kareem, deputy minister of petroleum and mineral resources for company affairs.

The final day of the conference saw Mansour Al-Kharboush, vice president of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, and Isam Al-Bayat, vice president of Saudi Aramco, talking about growing investment opportunities in the oil and petrochemical sectors.

Bayat explained how to attract local and international investors to create a platform for downstream industries and provide employment for Saudi nationals. He called upon international investors to participate in joint ventures with Saudi Aramco.

“Saudi Aramco’s projected expenditure on materials would exceed $20 billion through 2010 whereas the projected expenditure on services would cross $23 billion in the same period,” Bayat told the conference attended by nearly 900 Saudi and foreign delegates.

Bayat anticipated tremendous growth in the oil and gas sector over the next decade. He indicated that there would be vast opportunities in refining, petrochemicals and power generation. “Saudi Aramco is a stable partner and a reliable supplier of fuel and feed stocks. It strongly encourages local and international investors to participate in the Kingdom’s development,” he concluded.

Abdullah Al-Abdulgader, manager of projects at SABIC, said there were new projects worth $8 billion under study. “We have achieved 42 million man-hours without a lost time incident in 2004,” he said while talking about performance of SABIC companies.

Ahmed Al-Ohali emphasized the need to promote non-oil industry. “About 80 percent of our exports are crude oil and petrochemicals. Today we are witnessing a transition from dominant oil sector to non-oil diversified economy. The petrochemicals are a major driving force in the Saudi economy with an approximate 9 percent contribution to the GDP. This sector employs more than 20,000 people, 75 percent of them Saudi, and many more in related industries,” he said.

Dr. Moayyed Al-Qurtas, vice chairman of Tasnee, threw light on the projected private sector investment in petrochemicals and the case for joint venture projects. He also touched upon the pros and cons of joint ventures and advocated a cautious approach.

Majed Al-Ahmadi, president and CEO of Project Management and Development Co., gave startling figures on the petrochemicals industry. “The ratio of oil and gas reserves verses chemical sales for Saudi Arabia was perhaps one of the lowest in the world,” he said. He put the sales target for the year 2020 at $100 billion.

Dr. Aldo Belloni, the CEO of Linde Ag, was very positive when he noted that there is a great change in the quality and quantity of technical participation from the Saudis.

Mohammad Al-Juwaiser, director general of Investment and Development for Jubail and Yanbu, was eloquent when he described the development of Yanbu and plans for its future. He disclosed that as of February 2005, the total investment exceeded SR19.12 billion and indicated that the forecasted investment till around 2020 will be over SR130 billion. He also talked in details about the Yanbu II Phase I, predicting an almost 200 percent growth possibility in the production capacity in the next 15 years.

Mohammad S. Al-Jurais, deputy director for investment and development for Jubail, said it is now 30 years since Jubail I was initiated. He gave a vivid description of the growth pattern witnessed in the area. “In 1975 there were only nine primary industries as against the current 19. Jubail II will see this figure jump to 33 and the support industries will leap from the current 133 to 272,” he said.

The sessions on the challenges and opportunities in financing downstream energy projects was fascinating as Oscar Silva held the audience spellbound. “Islamic banking is a very suitable option in providing financing,” said Oscar. He envisages a staggering $30 billion investment in the coming few years. “The economy is very sound and resilient and offers a very bright future,” he added

JEDDAH/DAMMAM, 17 May 2005 — International investors are among local expatriates who have shown keen interest in investing in real estate properties across India.

This was stated by representatives of Indian builders who are currently conducting a road show, organized by Arabian Trade Show in association with the Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (HDFC) and the Alireza Group’s Rezayat Trading Co. Ltd., in different parts of the Kingdom. The two-day India property show that offers multiple options, ended at Jeddah Trident yesterday.

Inquiries from local expatriates have been more for properties in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Madras, M.P. Vijay, marketing executive at HDFC, told Arab News.

The show, which was earlier held in Alkhobar, moves to Riyadh (Al Mutlaq Hotel) for three days from May 18. It has been offering properties at various locations in cities like Calicut, Cochin, Bombay, Lucknow, Madras and Bangalore. There was also a stand dedicated to discuss loan formalities involved in owning a property.

On offer are a wide range of apartments, villas, developed plots, twin houses and office space. “We’ve also been offering free NRI services during the show,” Vijay said, adding that HDFC offers “easy and quick home loans at competitive rates.”

The Indian real estate market is currently on the upswing since the federal government has been allowing 100 percent foreign direct investment for development of townships, housing, infrastructure, commercial premises, hotels, resorts, hospitals and educational institutions, recreational facilities, etc. A number of multinational companies have started joint ventures across some Indian cities. Two Indian business delegations, represented by New Delhi-based India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) and Bombay-based Indo-Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IACCI), have put up 36 stands for their member-companies at the ongoing 23rd multisectoral trade fair.

The ITPO, which is participating in the fair for the first time, is led by its Executive Dirctor I.D. Agrawal. Its delegation comprises 14 firms, including Spices Board of India, Cochin, Tea Board of India, Dubai, and firms dealing with engineering goods and household items.

The IACCI delegation is led by Sunanda Rajendran, its executive director.

The Consulate General of India held a buyer-seller meet at Jeddah Trident yesterday, which was largely attended by local businessmen.